Villain
by Starboy6
Summary: In his second year at U.A., Shoto Todoroki encounters his brother, Toya, who changes his entire outlook on hero society. Though he isn't exactly sure what to do about it, he knows one thing for sure: he cannot and will not remain at U.A.
1. Remember

" _No man capable of greater evil than the one who thinks himself in the right. No purpose more evil than the higher purpose." - Joe Abercrombie_

I.

It was the flower that made her heart race for the first time with him. She had only ever told him once, on some chaperoned walk they had taken, but somehow he had remembered. The expression on his face was that of unfamiliarity; he didn't do this often, if at all. Her suspicions were confirmed.

"Well?" he pressed, his confidence faltering as Rei continued to stare.

"Enji, it's perfect." Rei looked into his turquoise eyes and searched for something, anything to turn her away. She found nothing but a lopsided grin. "Did you ask Hana? I swear she has the biggest mouth in all of Shiketsu."

Enji shook his head. "No. I don't speak to her. Just you."

Rei blushed slightly, glancing away. When she looked to the side, she saw two other adults. Escorts. They could never just be alone. She sighed. "Can we do something besides walking around, today?"

A spark lit in his eyes. "Fine, but you know I can't stay long. It was why walks worked so well." Tucking the flower into her hair, he stepped back and motioned for her lead the way.

A touch of heat crossed her scalp as his fingers brushed there. Rei groaned playfully and surrendered. "Okay, okay. A walk it is. But I'm leading." She took off down the path, and Enji followed.

The two walked through the cherry blossoms, and Rei talked while Enji listened. Deciding to stop by a fountain, they both took a seat on the side, their escorts a step away.

"Do I have to call you _Endeavor_ in public?" Rei teased, nudging his large shoulder.

He rubbed his hands together, looking her over. "Yes. But not in private."

"In private," she repeated. After a moment of silence she bust out laughing. "You know, Yui thinks it's weird you come and hang out here… what with us being high schoolers."

There was a moment when something flashed behind his eyes, but in a second it was gone. "I told you. I'm scouting talent."

"Oh, yes." She nodded. "That's why you invite me out like this. Want to recruit me as a sidekick?"

He tapped two warm fingers to her forehead. "Something like that."

Rei scoffed. "That is ridiculous. I don't want to be a hero, Endeavor."

"But you have power, Rei. Everyone can see it." As he said 'power' his hand lit with a tender flame. "You should be using it."

She frosted over her hand in response, the feeling of exhilaration only associated with her quirk taking hold of her. "You should see me in winter."

II.

The era of Endeavor was not like the era of All Might. It was not uncommon for a shift to happen in the world between number one heroes. Or at least a shift in Japan. Almost a year into a hero society led by Endeavor had changed everything. Endeavor solved conflicts; he didn't inspire peace. Though, he tried.

Shoto Todoroki reflected on his father, head leaning against the window of the bus. Class 2-A was on their way back from a training exercise, and a good portion of the class had fallen asleep. Bakugo was next to him, spacing out, and beyond him was Midoriya, muttering. The hour was late, so it made sense they were all struggling to stay awake. Shoto had too many things on his mind to sleep.

Without warning, the bus came to a halt, throwing some of the sleeping students out of their seats. Shoto swayed with the pull and reached out to grab one of the nearest bars.

"What the fuck was that?" Bakugo called from beside him, leaning over to look out the front.

Shoto stood up, an anxious feeling rising in his gut. Too many times in their first year had they been attacked by villains for something like this to be random.

Out the front of the bus stood three men. They all looked young, but each had a menacing aura about them. The middle guy, wearing a mask with a smile, stepped up to the bus and placed a hand on the front end. Before anyone could react, the bus ripped apart, scattering everyone up and down the street.

Shoto landed on his back, the wind jolted from his lungs, and he gasped for air.

He wasn't given a moment to catch his breath, as a car was thrown his way. It wasn't the first time he had had the wind knocked out of him, and he wasn't about to die because of it. He thrust his ice forward, stopping the car middair. Forcing himself to his feet, he moved away from the immediate danger zone and assessed the situation.

There were villains everywhere. He was reminded of the USJ attack, but these were no novices. From the students he could see in his peripheral, each was engaged in combat, yet none seemed to have the upperhand. Even Midoriya and Bakugo had their hands full.

Instantly, his eyes scanned for Momo.

He found her trying to rescue Hagakure, who was stuck under a piece of the bus. Shoto ran over to her and grabbed onto her arm. "Get out of here! You have to get to safety."

Momo created something to brace the shrapnel, then turned to look at him. "You are bleeding. Here, I'll make you something." She produced a sort of bandage and went to hand it to him when the street below them was ripped apart, knocking them both from their feet.

There was a moment when Todoroki wondered whether or not Aizawa had made it off the bus, since it didn't seem like anyone's quirks were being erased. "I have to go stop that guy. Stay safe."

Momo sat up, shouting something at him, but he was already running towards the source.

In the distance, he could see Bakugo fending off a few villains with Kirishima, and farther down the street Uraraka and Iida had teamed up against their own lot. Whatever that villain's quirk was, he had separated almost everyone.

He fired up his left side and shot a burst of flame at the scattering villain, who dodged. As he touched the ground, it split apart again and pieces of the street catapulted Shoto's way. Todoroki sent blocks of ice to meet them. As street and ice collided, the scatter villain stepped back, calculating what to break apart next.

Shoto didn't give him a chance. He activated his quirk, both sides, and sent a barrage of ice and fire his way. More of the street ripped into pieces to block the attack, and the villain took off running. Todoroki threw up a wall of ice to stop him, but the villain simply scattered the ice, sending it flying every direction. He wasn't sure whether or not the scatter villain could do the same with his fire, so for the moment, he sacrificed his right side's defense for his left side's offense.

Like he thought, when he tossed an inferno wall where his ice had once been, the villain paused his flee and touched the ground again. As before, the street split open and pieces of the pavement went flying. From the few times Shoto had seen him use his quirk, he determined he could break things apart and disperse them. He only hoped that was the extent of it.

Shoto kept the flame wall up and formed a plan. This guy seemed to be one of the more dangerous of the bunch around him, although as he thought so, a villain ripped a lamppost from the sidewalk and swung it at Bakugo like a bat.

"What do you want with us?" Shoto said quickly. "I could keep this up all day." He motioned to the flames, and the villain's eyes followed. "So I'd answer my questions if I were you."

There was sweat on the villain's brow, but his stance, nor his gaze faltered even an inch. With haste, he bent down fully, pressing both his hands to the street. The pieces exploded in smaller chunks this time, beads of tarmac raining down on those around them. Shoto dodged what he could and blocked the rest with ice.

Scattering the ice again, the villain took off towards the nearest building. He was quick, light on his feet, and it became a race for dominance. Shoto shot a blaze towards the building just as the villains hand touched the wall. The building splitting had such a resonating sound, Shoto had to cover his ears to help keep the vibrations at bay.

He wasn't sure how many people were inside—he hoped the late hour meant they were all home—but there was nothing he could do as the building, now on fire, broke down, shattered, then scattered up and down the street. Dodging all the debris was impossible, and Shoto found himself weaving in and out of the worst of it, taking whatever hits he thought he could handle.

Though the scattering villain had created more than enough cover, he touched as many fallen pieces of the building as he could whilst he fled. Booking it down another alley, the things he touched left behind dispersed, hitting Shoto as he pursued.

He ran as fast as his legs would carry him through the debris and into the alley.

There, waiting for him, was Dabi.

Shoto slowed his run and tried to take in his surroundings. He wasn't sure where the scatter villain had gone, and from what he could see, Dabi was alone in the alley.

"I knew it was you. The League of Villains," Shoto spat, getting ready for a fight.

Dabi smiled, the staples around his mouth stretching. "Shoto Todoroki."


	2. Her

_Rage was sometimes a useful ally in the heat of a fight, but it was a trickster. It made everything seem possible. -Jonathan Maberry_

III

Enji could feel the pressure between his shoulder blades. It was inexplicable to anyone who wasn't a part of the chase for number one. And though he had fame, it was nothing compared to that of All Might.

The shadow loomed over him.

No matter how hard he trained, how many villains he stopped, crime he suppressed, he could never overcome the shadow of All Might.

Enji rubbed his temples. The latest reports had come out, ranking the heroes. Though he was number two, the fastest rising hero in the ranks, a young man of twenty, All Might was still leagues ahead of him.

His dream of being number one was slipping through his fingers.

Narrowing his eyes, he lit the paper on fire and watched until it burned to ash. Whether or not he could see them, he knew it was true; the gap could not be closed. He would never admit it to anyone, but it didn't need to be said.

All Might—the smiling hero, symbol of peace, a buffoon—would crush him in a head to head fight.

He ran his hands through his hair, letting off some flares from his body, a method of keeping his body temperature down. The number two position was a cage, one he couldn't escape.

A call from the front door pulled him from his thoughts, and Enji looked up to see his friend. "Kaito. What are you doing here?"

Kaito removed his shoes and stepped inside the house. "I'm here to get you for the Shiketsu Showcase, obviously."

It took a moment for reality to register, and Enji stood up. "That starts tonight, doesn't it?"

Kaito gave him an amused look. "Yeah. I tried calling, but you didn't answer. I'm guessing you aren't packed."

He internally debated about possibly skipping the event. Not only was he just busy in general, but the last thing he wanted to do was go watch high schoolers who thought themselves gods.

Kaito sighed heavily. "I know that look. C'mon, Enji. Go to this showcase. Let's scout some talent. Maybe one will prove a good sidekick."

Enji grunted in response. "Fine. But you are buying dinner on the way."

Unlike the U.A Sports Festival, where Enji and Kaito made their debuts, the Shiketsu Showcase was an invitation only event, untelevised, and only the top sixteen third years in the hero course performed. Much like the sports festival, it was a night of tournament style one on one fights, ending in one victor. All the pro-heroes with a rank to their name were invited, and more often than not, the sixteen students showcased moved on to have bright careers.

Enji had made a name for himself through the U.A. Sports Festival. There was a good chance he would actually see some students with promise.

As he and Kaito moved to their seats, box seats up high in the arena, Enji rolled his eyes at all the unnecessary accessories they added to heighten the event. "This whole place is pretentious," he muttered.

Kaito looked through the event program that listed out profiles of the featured students. "Doesn't mean they don't produce great heroes."

Enji scoffed and crossed his arms. "They even have complimentary drinks."

Kaito smiled. "You don't drink. Look at her; she has an energy quirk. That might be able to play off yours, you know." He pushed the program towards Endeavor, the page open to the student profile of a girl who could absorb the energy around her.

Enji merely sighed and leaned back in his chair.

"So hard to please," Kaito commented as the lights dimmed.

The spotlights illuminated the middle of the stage, where sixteen students stood, their signature school hats gleaming. Other students stood around the ring, those of years two and three. And the announcer went on their introductory drivel.

"One of them has a lava-type quirk. It would go with your aesthetic," Kaito whispered, even though no one but Endeavor could hear him.

Enji looked around, wondering if All Might had made it. Was he looking for a new sidekick perhaps?

The tournament was explained, and the students were given an introduction. Each student stepped forward when their names were called, but Enji didn't pay much attention. Even when Kaito rambled on about all their statistics, his thoughts were on the gap, on his ambitions.

The fights began, and Endeavor focused more on the outcomes than the actual skills being presented, and he briefly wondered if the pro heroes felt this way about the U.A. Sports Festival. Every year, he watched the festival to see if U.A. was holding to their standards, or if anyone new was up and coming.

In the third match, the energy girl and lava guy Kaito liked faced off. The stadium floor was filled with lava, and the girl with the energy quirk was quickly absorbing the energy from it and counter attacking. The match came down to two powerful displays, the lava guy sending a wave and the girl shielding with a surge of energy.

When the two forces collided, there was an echoing crack, and the lava wave exploded. Multiple teachers from Shiketsu sprung into action to protect the crowd in the stands. But before any had the chance to use their quirks, an ice wall spread around arena, clashing against the flying lava bits, cooling them instantly.

Everyone in the arena quieted down, and Enji stood up from his chair to see better. The angle of their box seats allowed him to see within the ice circle from above.

Towards the center of the oval, off to the side was a young student with snow white hair. She was crouched down, a hand touching the ground, and when she pushed up from the arena floor, her right arm and both legs were frosted over.

Enji put both his hands on the glass.

Kaito did the same thing next to him. "Did that girl just make… all of this?" He waved his arms at the ice wall that was now slowly crumbling. "That quirk is insane."

"I want to know who that is _now_."

Kaito pulled back from the window. "I think ice is opposite your brand, and she's not pictured as being in the hero course."

He couldn't explain the feeling, but it was as if the future, his future flashed before his eyes. Power combined with power made power—enough to challenge the top hero.

"I want to know everything about her." There was an almost predatory look in Enji's reflection in the glass, but it was merely the look of someone whose dream had been restored to them.

* * *

IV

Hana and Yui both linked their arms with Rei's as they walked down the streets to their houses.

"All I'm saying is that if I have to do one more math problem, my brains are going to fall out of my nose," Hana complained.

Yui rested her head against Rei's shoulder. "Your brains will probably fall out anyway."

The girls laughed, and Rei patted Yui's head. "Are you all right?"

Yui sighed heavily. "I just have a bad feeling."

Hana groaned. "Why are you so depressing? Your feelings are always wrong, anyway."

"Not _always_ ," Yui shot back.

Rei slowed the trio to a stop in front of the old broken gate to her house. "Yui, I'm sure you just are worried about exams. And Hana, be nice." She hugged her friends, bade them goodbye, and headed to her house.

As she pushed open the front door, she saw an extra pair of shoes, ones she recognized. Strange tingles flooded her body as she moved within the house. What was he doing here?

"Mom? Dad?" Rei called, turning the corner.

There were her parents and Enji all sitting around the table with some tea.

She hesitated in the worn doorway. Enji— _Endeavor_ —was casually sitting in her house. "Uh… Hi." She searched the three for some sort of explanation.

"Rei, come sit." Her father motioned for the vacant spot next to Enji, and she took it slowly.

"Okay. Did something happen?" There was a serious energy bouncing around the room, something shared between the three of them she didn't yet know.

Her mother's greying hair was pulled back into a tight bun at the nape of her neck, and she fidgeted with it as the silence drew out a touch past uncomfortable. Her father gave her a reassuring smile and finished off his tea, to which her mother quickly poured him more.

"Mr. Todoroki has taken an interest in you, Rei."

Rei folded her arms, a small chill slipping from her palms. "Well, I told _Mr. Todoroki_ more than once I have no interest in being a hero. He knows this."

Her mother looked down to her lap, as her father continued. "That was not his interest. Your mother and I have given him our permission and blessing to marry you. He is well-off, has a good reputation and a bright future. We believe it is a good match for you."

Rei snapped her neck to look at her now-betrothed, holding her breath in surprise. "What? Marry? I'm only sixteen. I still have school. One more year at least. And university."

Enji gave her a quick smile. "I can and will provide you with everything you need. You'll want for nothing in my household."

As he spoke, there was a tightness in her chest, a rolling of her gut. The room was growing hot, and she couldn't tell where the heat was coming from… him?

"Mom…" She couldn't even finish her thought, and her mom's head remained towards her lap.

Her father cleared his throat, drawing attention to herself. "Mr. Todoroki and I have set out a date. It will be a quiet ceremony in three months time, at the end of your current term."

As her father laid out her future in front of her, Enji not once taking his eyes off her, she felt an overwhelming sense of foreboding.

* * *

V

Dabi uncrossed his arms, the heat rising under his skin as he prepared for a fight. Before the ice came his way, he knew Shoto would use it; their mother's quirk.

His brother wasn't old enough to know of all the things that had happened before his birth, and with a blue blaze, Dabi melted the ice. Immediately he began his usual routine of testing the heat around his body. His limits to his fire were strict, the backlash nearly unbearable. Against a body meant for ice, fire was the ultimate weapon, something both he and his mother knew well.

Shoto seemed momentarily surprised through the bit of steam rising around the two of them but went with a more precise ice attack.

Once again, Dabi melted the ice upon impact with his flames, and tried to ignore the sting beneath his skin. Shoto could produce so much ice, and it took just as much fire to melt it, if not more. Deciding on a new tactic, Shoto activated both sides of his quirk, and though Dabi wouldn't admit it, he looked almost menacing at the entrance to the alleyway.

This was his father's masterpiece.

During his last few attacks on the students of U.A., Dabi had never actually fought one on one with his youngest brother. Looking him over, it was clear Shoto was stronger now, but even as a children, they all knew he would be the strongest. And just as their mother had said, Shoto's left side resembled their father.

"I bet you haven't had someone melt your ice like that before," Dabi said almost as a side thought.

The flames and ice flew his way so quickly, he was nearly too late to counter. The ice dissolved, and blue and orange flame clashed, sending fire to both buildings on either side. Before the buildings set alight, Shoto frosted over the lingering flames, extinguishing them.

The sting under Dabi's skin was now a burn, most concentrated around his scars, and steam seeped from his body. He was at his limit. Shoto required that much fire, and his body was protesting.

He turned to his second tactic, his trump card. "At least not since Endeavor did it to you."

Dabi hadn't seen it happen to Shoto specifically, but he'd seen their father control their mother more than once that way.

Shoto seemed shaken by the words, and he scrutinized Dabi. Dabi knew in the dark, with the way he looked, their connection couldn't be confirmed, but still Shoto's mind worked through the possibilities.

In his distraction, Toga snuck up behind him and hit him over the head with something, causing Shoto to fall to the ground unconscious.


	3. Masterpiece

**A/N: Hey yo. Thanks for reading.**

 **Enjoy.**

* * *

 _You cannot, by any means, teach a selfish person to be unselfish - Alan Watts_

 **VI**

Rei knew she had been screaming the entire time, but when the second set of screams joined hers, she was overcome with relief, and her screams turned to sobs. Sinking back onto the pillows behind her, she tried to catch her breath, but it was impossible behind the absolute fear and euphoria swirling around her body.

One thought repeated itself within her head, the only thing she could cling to: please let this be the one.

Her stomach wouldn't settle, however; even if this was the one, would he be satisfied?

The baby was cleaned and swaddled, and the midwife walked to her side. "He's a healthy baby boy, here."

Everything in her body told her not to look, but she couldn't help it. Rei glanced over his face, and there, with the calmest of expressions, was a baby with one grey eye and one turquoise. His little tufts of hair were crimson and white respectively. Half and half.

The masterpiece.

Her stomach clenched, and Rei launched her body to side of the bed and threw up. "No…"

Her sobs were hysterical as the midwife helped her upright and cleaned her up, saying something about overexertion.

No.

The baby was offered to her again, and she held up her hands over her face. "Please, no. I don't want to hold him. Don't make me hold him. Just take him to Enji…"

The midwife pulled the baby away, rubbing his cheek with her finger. "Okay. I think he likes you, though."

She closed her eyes, trying to gain control of herself, though failing. Most of the time, she kept it all in for the children, but in such a vulnerable state, everything she held back racked through her like a tidal wave.

It would all perhaps be over now.

The abrupt opening of the door snapped her attention, and Enji stood in the doorway, the child in his arms. He was elated, standing tall. Rei had seen him this way a few times, though none of those memories brought him joy now a days.

He walked up to the bed side and pulled her into his chest, placing a soft kiss on the top of her head. The heat blasted through her body, causing its weakened state to convulse. She hadn't the energy to push him off her.

"We've done it, Rei," he whispered, his attention directed on his son.

The extra sheets and barriers for childbirth were removed, and she was checked over by the midwife before Rei and the baby were left to rest. The last thing she remembered before she fell asleep was Enji leaning over to look at their son.

Rei was awakened by Natsuo's cool hand on her face. She grabbed it gently and held it in place on her cheek, taking in the lower temperature. Natsuo giggled and was nearly knocked aside by Fuyumi.

"Mama?" she said in her sweet voice, and it carried like bliss.

Rei took a deep breath and sat up slowly. "Aren't you all supposed to be at school?"

She hugged little Natsuo and kissed his forehead, to which he protested. "And you are supposed to have been with grandma."

Fuyumi laughed and moved to the foot of the bed. "School is over, Mama. We want to meet Shoto."

His name shot through her like a bullet, and the veil ripped away. "Shoto… it was a name your father liked." She turned her head slowly to the bassinet that held her fourth and saw Toya looking in over at him.

He stood eerily still, and the concern that swept through her surprised her. Was it not but a few hours ago that she didn't want to even look at him? Rei made to stand up when Toya looked at her.

"Is this him? Dad's masterpiece?"

None of them would really know until Shoto was older, but every external sign told them what they all speculated: Endeavor's masterpiece had been born.

* * *

 **VII**

The room spun around Shoto as he looked up at the ceiling. His breath came easy, luckily, but the hit had knocked him flat on his ass.

Endeavor stood over him, annoyance clear in both his tone and demeanor. "That was too easy. You let me put you on your back."

Shoto took a deep breath and looked at his father, nothing but hatred in his stare. "I needed a break."

"I'll tell you when you can have a break. Not until you stand up to me properly. You'll never reach the height of your abilities if you don't push yourself. Now get up." Endeavor brought down the kendo sword on his leg, the force of it ricocheting through Shoto's thigh.

Shoto groaned and rolled to his side. "I said I need a break."

"You haven't earned one. We've barely been at it. We haven't even touched quirk training yet. I trained much harder than this when I was your age."

As Shoto propped up on his elbow, he saw a small sliver of light pour in through the cracked door. The sun was fully up now. Two hours then.

The reaction was quick; Shoto caught the kendo sword swinging down on him again, and he dodged it in an instant. His body slid out of the way, and he gripped the end of the sword with his left hand. Setting it ablaze, he ripped it from his father's unsuspecting hand and tossed it aside.

Endeavor was never taken unawares, and the quirk training began the moment Shoto got to his feet. A pointed inferno rolled through the air, and Shoto shot ice to meet it. While still entirely physical, his quirk's limits were far higher than his combative ones.

A spark of blue flame evaporated the ice wall he had created, and father and son faced each other once again.

"The special recommendation entrance exams for U.A. are in less than six months. You'll be ready by then." The flames that accentuated his father's bulking frame intensified. "But that means more training."

Shoto tensed, and the unnatural muscles that clung to his fourteen year old figure were taut. Weekends were for extra trainings when Endeavor could afford to do so; today was one. He'd be at this all day.

Part of him lived for this, extra trainings and everything else his father threw at him.

Shoto would fulfill the legacy his father wanted for him, using only his mother's quirk, his ice, effectively erasing Endeavor from that legacy entirely.

* * *

 **VIII**

The first thing Shoto noticed when he finally came to were the restraints on his hands and ankles.

The second was the blood on the back of his neck. His head was bleeding again. It was not the first time, but in the cold night air, the blood only cooled his body further.

The villain blurred in and out of his vision, and when Shoto's eyes settled on one image, Dabi was closer to him than he would have liked.

"Toga, you fucking psycho." There was slow reception in his ears, and the muffled voices around him all mixed together.

"I could have let you burn." The chuckle that escaped her lips was unforgiving. She held up some sort of canister contraption, and a vague fear swept through him. What was that? Had she used it on him?

As his senses cleared one by one, he looked to his first issue—the restraints. They weren't particularly difficult to deal with, but he didn't know how quickly they would take him down if he tried to get out of them.

"Shoto, don't move too much. You probably have a concussion." It was weird. Somehow Dabi's voice mixed with his mother's; he could have sworn his mom had said that to him before. The kindness in their tones matched each other's.

There was the strong taste of iron in the back of his throat, a sensation lost since the days of heavy training, and Shoto spit blood on the pavement. Pavement. That was a good sign. He was still in the alleyway.

He could and would fight his way out.

Pulling against the restraints, he tested how durable they were. If he could freeze them, chances were he could break them off his hands. When the scattering villain appeared in his eyeline, he iced over the restraints on his hands and tried to smash them on the wall beside him.

Dabi reached out and grabbed his arm. "Shoto! Stop!"

Shoto swung at him, and Dabi deflected the attack, knocking him aside. "Shoto, it's me! Toya!"

His perspective shifted at the name, and through the scars and staples, an aged up version of his eldest brother stuck out to him. Within that moment, the earlier confusion became crystal clear in a memory. Toya, a preteen at the time was cleaning up Shoto after some training routine, saying you probably have a concussion.

"Toya?"

Dabi stood up straight and looked to the other two, who were busy talking about something else. "Go on. We'll catch up."

Toga sauntered off deeper into the alley. "He's just mad I saved his life."

The scattering villain hesitated a minute, but ultimately followed.

Shoto sat upright and looked over his brother again. "What the hell happened to you?"

Dabi leaned against the wall, tucking his hands into his pockets. "The same that happened to you, just not with the title of masterpiece."

"So you became a villain?" Perhaps it was the haze that clung to him, but the connections weren't coming as quickly as he would have liked.

"What's a villain when there are heroes like Endeavor?"

Shoto was surprised by how easily he was disarmed around his brother. While he didn't know any of his siblings all that well, one of the many prices of being favored, he knew Toya the least. His brother kept his distance for the most part, and one day he disappeared.

Dabi continued, despite Shoto saying nothing. "If it means being a villain to take down dear old dad, I accept."

"Wait, what?"

Dabi looked him in the eyes. "Help me take down Endeavor, pull him from the number one spot. That's the whole reason for all of this. It can't just be me that does it; you have to be a part of it."

Shoto glared up at his brother. "You could have killed someone out there—"

"It's not about them. It's about you and me. We were the ones at the brunt of it all." Dabi ignited his hands, blue flame erupting from beneath the scars. "And mom."

There was a pull deep from within him, something that related to Toya's words. Though Shoto and his mother had grown closer again over the year, the main memories that came to mind when he thought of her were still ones from the past. His drive for heroism was now rooted in her. "What if I refuse?"

"Don't refuse." Dabi sank down to Shoto's eye level. "We can't let him get away with it. We can't let that man be the number one hero. Not after everything he's done."

Shoto swallowed hard as the feelings being validated by his brother roiled with him. "He still saves people. Fights villains." As he said it, a soft trickle of blood ran down the corner of his mouth.

"He didn't save mom. He didn't save me." Dabi stood up again, backing off a step in preparation for Shoto to rebel. "We have to do this. For Natsuo. For Fuyumi. For mom. And it has to be us."

"You didn't have to become a villain for this," Shoto said quietly.

"A hero society led by a false hero can't stand. He's a hero to no one but himself."

Heavy silence sat between them. He knew everything being said was right. This was a society that had raised Endeavor; this society made him who he was. In turn, Endeavor had made Shoto. He was created and trained to rise, to achieve greatness through the passing on of his parents' powerful quirks.

"If you become a hero now, Shoto, you'll only give him what he wants. You'll make the ends justify his means."

Shoto closed his eyes, allowing a wave of dizziness to settle in his head. They were thoughts that always sat in the back of his mind, but for the longest time it was just him and Endeavor. For the longest time, Endeavor and the fight against his will was all he had.

But with everything he had suppressed from the past coming out at the sight of Toya, he couldn't push it back down. The whole purpose of him going along with his father in the first place was to tear him down in the end. And though he was beginning to accept his father's role in his life, in his abilities, there would never be forgiveness.

There would only ever be vengeance.

"Okay. I'll do it. I'll take down Endeavor with you. But then, I'm out."

Dabi nodded and bent down, unlocking Shoto from his restraints. "Come with me now. I'll look out for you until that time—"

"Todoroki?"

Both Todoroki boys looked to the mouth of the alleyway where Momo stood. Without hesitation, Shoto threw up an ice wall between Dabi and himself and looked around for Toga and the scattering villain.

"Get out of here," he said, getting to his feet and walking over to her. He noticed her leg was injured, and she favored it, leaning on her opposite side.

She looked him over, and the ice behind him, having seen pretty much everything. "I saw you come running this way, and I know you're hurt. So come on." There was hesitation in her mannerisms, her tone. Before he even said it, she knew he wouldn't be coming.

"I'm not going back."

Her eyes widened, and she glanced between him and the ice. "So you're going with them?"

"I don't expect you to understand, and I can't explain it to you. So do you what you have to." He stepped back, moving towards the ice wall. There was guilt in his steps, but he couldn't drag her into this. If he was committing to taking down his father, there couldn't be strings.

"Wait, Shoto, don't do this. Come back with me, and we can talk about it. You can explain everything to me. I'll listen." There was an urgency in her tone, but they both knew her words were futile.

Shoto placed his left hand on the ice, melting part of it away. "I'm sorry."

It was all he could offer her then.

Dabi stood on the other side of the ice wall, smug about Shoto's display of commitment. "Let's go and get you to a medic."

Shoto told himself he wouldn't look back, but as he and Dabi ran down the alleyway to where the warp gate villain was waiting for them, he glanced back; Momo was gone.


	4. Persistent

**A/N: Hey Everyone.**

 **Sorry for posting a day late. Life, man.**

 **Enjoy.**

* * *

 _The art of love is largely the art of persistence. – Albert Ellis_

IX

Fuyumi Todoroki lined up her students in class order, walking down the line to make sure they all had their things. Together, the class made their way to the playground area where they could play until their parents came to pick them up. The other younger classes were on the playground, and as her kids took off to join them, Fuyumi stepped back under the shade.

"Hey."

Fuyumi looked up to see another teacher, Hide, walking over to her. His students joined the fray of playing children, and he seemed completely worn.

Fuyumi smiled and pushed herself up off the wall. "Hide. How are you?"

He ran a hand through his hair. "I beat my record. I had to remove three crayons from two separate noses today."

Fuyumi chuckled. "Oh, no. Were they different colors this time?"

Hide nodded his head. "All different. Blue, red and green."

"That still doesn't beat the time one student swallowed our pet rock," she said, smiling.

Hide laughed and moved step closer. "Good thing it was the size of a pebble. Any plans this weekend?" His cheeks shaded pink as he asked, and he ran a hand through his hair a second time.

Fuyumi knew where this was headed, and while she hadn't spent a ton of time thinking about a date with Hide, it had crossed her mind. He was kind, passionate about his job, and the type of awkward that kept her feeling comfortable. She liked all that about him. "Uh. I don't have anything planned."

Hide relaxed at her answer and stepped in front of her. "Well, see, there's this band I really like, and they are playing a gig at—"

He was interrupted by a shriek coming from one of the kids. Fuyumi looked over to the playground and saw Hawks playing with the children. He was flying them around with his feathers, and holding two of them upside down. The children flocked around him, his fame being their primary reason.

Fuyumi narrowed her eyes. "Excuse me, Hide."

Without listening to Hide's reply, she marched over to Hawks, crossing her arms. "Are you crazy? What if you dropped one of them?"

Hawks flashed a smile and held up one of the boys in his hands. "Nah. Does it feel like I'm going to drop you, little man?"

The boy in his hand pumped his fist. "No way!"

Fuyumi scoffed under her breath and maneuvered around the mass of children. "What are you even doing here?"

"We are going on a date," he said plainly.

" _We_?" she said.

"You won't say yes to a date with me, but you won't flat out reject me either. So I decided to take matters into my own hands. You and me. One date. Today." The feathers that flew kids around moved to new ones, some dropping them off at their parent's feet as they came to pick them up. Hawks set the two kids in his arms down, and they scattered off.

Fuyumi tried to count back how many times he had asked her on a date. More often than not he asked her at the most inconvenient times for the both of them. "You can't just show up at my school. And you've never properly given me a chance to say yes… or reject you." She added the last part after a short pause.

"So now's your chance. Go on a date with me." He separated the sea of children with a swift motion as he lessened the gap between them.

"Hawks…" she said lowly, glancing away from him. That was equally as embarrassing, as all the students were looking at them expectantly.

Hawks put his hands in his pockets and waited for her answer. "She should say yes, shouldn't she?" His question was directed at the kids around him.

There was an eruption of encouraging shouts from her students, the all around excitement unbearable. Fuyumi blushed and looked away from him.

"Okay, fine," she said, a soft smile touching her lips. "But exploiting children for that answer was beneath you, and you know it."

He grinned widely. "Whatever works."

* * *

X

Hawks took a deep breath and tried to steady his hands. He had never been more reluctant to do something than he was to do this.

But he had to.

All night he'd gone over what he would say. The thought of it made him sick, but he would play his role perfectly. He could not, would not, get her involved.

The prospect of it made him consider refusing the mission in the first place, but Hawks always served a higher purpose. He had since the very beginning. A purpose higher than both her and himself.

He hesitated at the doorway, the last bits of reluctance clawing at his lungs. His breath was short, but he feigned his casual attitude when he knocked on the door. There wasn't an immediate answer, and for a moment, he relaxed at the thought that she might not be home yet. But his hatred for what was about to happen deceived him only slightly. He knew she was home, the door sliding open was only proof of that.

Her features softened when she saw him. "Hi."

Hawks stepped inside the gate. "Hey. Are you busy?"

Fuyumi walked up to him and pressed a soft kiss to his lips. This would be the last of those, and he had half a mind to steal another just for the sake of it all.

"I was just about to make dinner. Do you want to stay? My dad's home, and I know how much you love him." There was jest in her tone, calling to the better parts of him, and he couldn't stop the short laugh that slipped from between his lips.

"I can't stay. I just came to talk."

She was no idiot, and her expression morphed through apprehension and knowing. At least she wouldn't be shocked by his words, the smallest of silver linings on this perpetual cloud.

"Okay. Let's talk." Fuyumi backed up a step, crossing and arm over the other.

Hawks stuffed his hands, balled into fists, into his pocket and relaxed his shoulders. He gazed at her, taking her in before letting it all go.

"We can't see each other anymore."

She released a noise of acknowledgement, nodding as her she cast her eyes to the ground. It was a moment before she spoke, and he waited impatiently for it. They hadn't been together for too long, but he knew her well enough to know she wouldn't just let it go.

Watching her fold in on herself as her mind ripped through the possibilities was near torture.

"Why not?" There was a strain in her voice, and she wouldn't look up at him right away.

 _A clean break_ , he repeated, fighting off the part of him that wouldn't do this. _It has to be this way_.

"Because I don't want to be with you." The lie itself was easy enough, but his entire body rejected it. So much so, he actually closed his eyes a second when he said it.

She whipped her eyes up to his, not believing what he had said.

He had to commit. He couldn't serve both his mission and his love for her. The reel of his reality replayed in his head, and the lying got a touch easier.

"Not anymore," he continued when she didn't say anything.

The words stung, he could tell as her eyes pooled with the start of tears. "What did I do?"

Hawks rubbed a hand along his chin, fingers crossing his mouth to conceal his frown. "Nothing. I just dated you because you're Endeavor's daughter," he said.

Fuyumi let out an exasperated laugh. "Like some sort of _prize_?"

He shrugged, the only response he could keep with a neutral face.

She laughed again, but there was pain behind every noise. "I always thought you wanted me for..." She trailed off, the words getting caught in her throat. The tears followed silently, and she tried to hold her breath.

Fuyumi glared at him after a long pause. "Well, you did it. You won your prize. Congratulations, Hawks."

She wasn't someone who had much darkness in her, but the look she gave him spoke to the Endeavor side of her lineage. Hawks again had to remind himself of why he was doing this, why he was willingly hurting her. Still he remained silent, it being the only option when so many other things threatened to come spewing from his lips.

"I was falling in love with you, you bastard," she whispered.

* * *

XI

Fuyumi sat with her back against the dresser. In her hand she clutched the only picture of her whole family she had had, three of them not with her. Her mother. Toya. Now Shoto.

When the call had first come, Fuyumi assumed her youngest brother was with their mother. Endeavor immediately knew something was wrong, but she had tried to stay positive. Her father had been out searching since it was confirmed Shoto wasn't coming home.

She gripped the picture tighter in her hand and placed her head on her knees. It was all falling apart. Perhaps it had never really been together in the first place. Her body shook with silent tears, and Fuyumi did the one thing she could think of in that moment.

Grabbing her phone, she dialed the number she told herself she would delete a long time ago and let the phone ring.

One. Two. He picked up.

"Fuyumi."

His voice was so gentle and hearing it like that made her gasp. "Hawks."

He cleared his throat. "Are you home?"

She nodded though he couldn't see it, but he seemed to know already.

"I'm coming. Stay there."

The line went dead, and she leaned her back again, trying to regain herself. Within a few minutes of deep breaths, she had at least stopped the sobs.

He must not have been far away because the beat of wings brought Hawks to her bedroom window not long after. There was a slight blur in her vision as she stood up. He easily got in through her window, shutting it behind him.

Before he could get close, she held up her hands. "I know-I know calling you was stupid… And I don't even know why I did..."

"It wasn't stupid," he said quietly.

"No," she backtracked. "No, I do know why I called. Because you…" She shifted her weight from foot to foot, wrapping her arms around her. "Shoto is gone. He's just gone."

Hawks knit his brows, risking a step forward. "Okay…"

Fuyumi took a deep breath, her lower lip shaking a bit as she thought about it all again, the truth of it. The tears started up again, and she was surprised she had any left. She didn't want to be so weak as to cry in front of him again, but she couldn't stop them. "I can't keep my family together, Hawks. I've tried my whole life, and I can't do it. I'm not strong enough."

He had inched his way closer to her as she spoke.

"I couldn't keep you around either…" Embarrassment worked its way from the pit of her stomach throughout her whole body. "But when you were around, you somehow made everything okay."

He was a step away from her when she finally looked up at him, and she could feel the energy spark between them, just like it had been before.

"Make it okay again. Please." Her final word was bordering a beg. "Just for one night."

Hawks stared at her, and she could see how conflicted he was. Her vulnerability in that second seemed to overtake her, and Fuyumi was about to turn away when he pulled her into his arms. She buried her head in the crook of his neck, and he leaned into her ear.

"You aren't weak." His wings spread wide behind his back; she could feel them expand as she wrapped her arms around his waist.

She battled the side of her that knew this was all a bad idea, shoving it down into the lowly depths of her. As her inhibitions against him stripped away, her body relaxed, her vulnerability spinning to a good thing. And just as it was before that horrible evening, small amounts of comfort she had lost clicked into place.

While she wouldn't say she had called him there for it, nor that she was expecting it, when his lips touched hers, she wasn't surprised. She was eager. If she was going to have a night from the past when everything seemed to be okay for a short while, this was only natural.

She snaked her arms around his neck, and he lifted her into his arms, wrapping her legs around his waist. Hesitation on his end fell away as well. Without parting his lips from hers, he backed up to the bed, and the two collapsed on it.

Fuyumi listened to Hawks' heartbeat as he played his fingers through her hair. His chest heated her cheek, while the cool air across her bare back sent shivers down her body.

A multitude of feelings rushed through her so quickly they all swirled together and manifested as numb. In contrast, Hawks was perfectly at ease beneath her. When he moved his hand from her hair along her arm, he reached down and pulled the bed covers over her body.

She didn't move.

"What are you thinking about?" he asked.

After a beat or two of silence, she responded. "How disappointed my mother would be in me right now."

"Because you had sex?"

"Because I had sex with you."

His hand stopped moving up and down her arm, and she wondered if that had hurt a little. The thought of upsetting him didn't sit well with her.

"She was somewhat of a prize, you know…"

It took Hawks a bit to speak, and the space caused Fuyumi to finally look up at him. There was no malice in his expression, but a touch of sadness, maybe. "Why did you never go on a date with Hide?"

The reminder of the temporary state of this reset hit her then. This wouldn't last. The regret of asking such a thing of him settled in her heart; she had brought back to life all the feelings she had tried so hard to kill.

"I don't love Hide."

The non-confession made her feel pathetic. After all this time, she was still in love with Hawks. And as he stared back into her eyes, regardless of how he had physically expressed himself, she couldn't tell whether or not he still loved her.


	5. Reign

**A/N: Hey Everyone!**

 **Thank you so much for all the views and comments. They are much appreciated.**

 **I'm taking a week break to get caught up on life, so I will see you all in two weeks.**

 **Enjoy.  
**

* * *

 _The alternative to self-love, in other words, is self-destruction -Alan Watts_

 **XII**

The dress Rei wore was a deep crimson and showed off her baby bump perfectly. There was a high neckline to it, an intentional feature, but that one part of it was a comfort to her. The deep red lipstick she wore to match stood out stark against her pale skin. Her white hair wound up into a bun atop her head.

She touched her stomach and took a deep breath. It was just a party, something special the agency was putting on for Enji.

How had he put it?

 _It's one party, Rei. You'll have fun._

The short memory caused a shiver to pulse through her, and in reaction, her exposed arms frosted over. The cool of the frost brought a bit of calm to her internal storm. The light from the mirror illuminated her iced skin, giving it a glowing effect.

"You should be careful doing that." Enji's reflection appeared in the mirror. "You could cool down the baby too much."

The fire that radiated from his skin brought about an instant fear in her. As he came closer, the heat raised her blood pressure. Gently, and with just enough heat, he swept his hands down her arms, melting the frost, before placing a light kiss on her shoulder. "Come on. The cab is here."

Rei held her breath through the entire exchange, only releasing it when he had left the room. Grabbing her clutch, she told herself over and over again it would be okay.

In the end, she was always okay. She had no choice but to be.

The car ride was mostly silent, but Rei could tell Enji was in a good mood. His mood was always better when she was pregnant. Though their first three children were not what he was looking for, he held out hope—his own type of hope—that the next one would be.

Endeavor's agency was decorated in luxury for the event, and while Rei knew the whole event would be all about him, she wasn't prepared for how far everyone had gone for Enji.

It was his ten year anniversary of being a hero. His stats were posted, and all around the room were various monuments to his accomplishments. In the ten years he had been a top ranking hero, Endeavor had done more than most others.

Rei knew she should be proud; she wanted to be proud, but a pressure constricted in her chest, and she struggled to catch her full breath.

Upon entering the vicinity, Enji was pulled away from her, brought to the forefront of the room by Kaito, and Rei headed off to the side to get some water.

"Extra ice please," she ordered, and the bartender filled up a glass there. The ice cold water calmed her nerves, and for a split second, she felt like she could breathe.

"Rei? Is that you?"

Her body tensed, and Rei turned on her heel to see Kaito's wife, Kaede, at the bar next to her. "Kaede."

Kaede rushed to her side, looking her over. "It's been years! Everytime the agency had a gathering, you could never make it. Endeavor said you had some hard pregnancies, and oh, look you are pregnant again! How many is that now?"

Rei was overwhelmed with how quickly Kaede spoke, and when the woman finally quieted down, Rei grabbed her drink and downed half of it. "Four. This is our fourth."

The influx of people in the room raised the temperature, and it felt like every one of her cells was crying out against it. She closed her eyes a brief second and pressed the cool glass to the inside of her wrist.

Kaede lifted a brow. "Well, there's your problem. You two have to come up for air every now and again. Though, I don't blame you. If I were married to _the_ Endeavor, I wouldn't leave the bedroom either."

A strong shift in her stomach had her leaning against the counter. Rei cleared her throat, thinking of something to say, and was thankfully interrupted by Kaito stepping up to the mic.

"All right, everyone, if we could all circle around."

Kaede moved closer to the stage, leaving Rei against the bar counter.

Kaito continued, "I've known Todoroki since he was fifteen, and I knew, like everyone, he would be a great hero. He's been in his position for ten years now, and the stats don't lie…"

Rei felt the tightening in her chest constricting her breathing again. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't catch her breath. Everywhere she looked, she saw him. Endeavor. The number two hero.

Kaito's voice faded out, and so did all the other noise in the room. Her heart pumping wildly was the only sound she could hear. Various parts of her body illuminated with heat, places where he'd put his hands on her. The high neckline of her dress scratched at her collarbone, and Rei reached for the cool glass.

She drank the water down to the bottom and held some ice in her mouth, anything to subdue the heat. Her breath came out in short bursts, and she could see each breath in the air. Steam. The heat crawled up her skin until it splintered her head, and her stomach turned.

Rei dropped the glass and looked around for the restrooms. Finding the sign, she shoved past someone and tried to get there as quickly as possible. Her eyes stung with tears as she swung open the door and almost immediately vomited in the toilet.

She dropped to her knees, tears streaming down her face, and behind her eyes she could only see one thing.

Endeavor.

"Rei…" Someone was at her side, and she barely recognized Kaede when she looked up at her.

A second wave of nausea hit her, and Kaede stood up. "I'll get Todoroki."

"No!" Rei said, reaching for Kaede's hand. "No. It's fine. I'm fine. Don't go get him."

Kaede gave her a sympathetic look. "I'll be right back."

Rei broke down into silent sobs, her short rapid breaths not allowing any noise, before lying down on the restroom floor. The cold tile. Anything to fight the heat.

It felt like no time had passed by the time she was in Enji's arms. A few people followed them out to the waiting car, but Rei couldn't tell who they were. As she was put in the car, she shifted from a state of panic to one of numbness, and she could only think to say one thing.

"I'm sorry."

It didn't come out with any authority; it barely made it past her lips at all.

Enji looked her over, face full of concern. "Let's get you home."

His hand touched her baby bump, and he held it there for the rest of the ride.

* * *

 **XIII**

"Toya."

Toya looked up from his lap to see Fuyumi standing in the doorway. He knew she would wake up.

Before he could say anything, there was another scream coming from upstairs, and Fuyumi ran to his side, sitting down next to him.

Toya flinched and looked up at his ceiling. It had been getting worse lately, so much worse. He didn't know why.

Fuyumi snuggled up to him as the sound of ice ripped along the ceiling. He listened to the hiss of the ice being melted and footsteps running, others in pursuit. Beside him, Fuyumi broke out into tears.

"We have to save her!" she cried.

"We can't," Toya said quietly. "You don't even have a quirk yet."

There were some strangled cries from above, and Toya felt his body heat up. The fire in him that burned hotter than Endeavor's surged beneath his skin.

Fuyumi had big wet tear stains on her cheeks. "But you have a quirk. You have to!"

His skin stung as the burn continued down his arms and and into his hands. "I have to protect you," he whispered.

There was another scream, and Toya pressed his hands against his eyes. The heat lit up against his delicate skin, and his tears instantly evaporated.

Even though she was done screaming, probably passed out at this point, he could still hear the echoes of her pleas in his head. Fuyumi's words as well.

 _You have to save her_.

Toya didn't have the power to save his mother from his father.

The temperature in his palms became a little hotter.

The cool of a salve on his singed skin sent tingling sensations down his neck.

"Don't move," Rei said gently, pressing a bit more underneath his left eye. Her eyes were full of concern, but Toya had a hard time looking into them.

Her pale skin was alight with red splotches up and down her neck and face. His father's hands, most specifically the heat from his hands, had put them there. Heat rash. Light burns even, given the events of the night previous. Toya knew how the heat rendered their bodies weakened. She couldn't stand up to Endeavor when he used such a weakness against her.

His body was the same, his fire quirk a double edged sword.

Toya looked to his lap, and Rei lifted his arm, rubbing the healing salve over his forearms.

"You have to stop doing this." She pursed her lips and let out a slow breath. "Burning yourself like this, it's… No more."

She lifted Toya's chin, so they met each other's eyes. It was then he saw she was just as scared of their eye contact as he was; it was written so plainly in her expression, her hand shaking under his chin.

"I can't help it," he responded. "I don't want you to scream anymore."

Rei looked away first. She always did these days.

* * *

 **XIV**

"What?"

The single word brought Momo Yaoyorozu from her day dream, and she realized she had been staring at Shinso for the past minute unblinking.

"Sorry," she whispered and sat back in her seat, trying to catch up on all she had missed Aizawa say.

Shinso looked at her a moment longer before turning his attention to the front. The empty desk between them seemed to bear more weight than Momo had expected.

It had only been a fortnight since Shoto's disappearance, but it had felt like longer.

"The police have returned to get a better understanding of what happened the night of the villain attack," Aizawa said. "They have more pointed questions about Todoroki, so try and think back to seeing him."

Momo dropped her gaze to her desk. Some time between her spacing out and now, a police officer had come into their classroom. Her heart rate escalated at the thought, and she tried to think about what angle she would take. Would she tell the truth, or protect Todoroki? Or would telling the truth about where he went protect him?

Ever since that night she had been confused about how to handle it. When the police initially questioned her in the hospital the day after the villain attack, they had only asked about the villains, not Shoto. She hadn't said anything about it then either.

"For the rest of the afternoon, you will finish up your homework while waiting to be questioned." Aizawa's tone was melancholic. The loss of Todoroki was not something he had taken lightly.

Momo pulled out her homework from earlier and worked her way through the problems. They were easy, too easy to keep her mind at ease, and she found her eyes wandering to the empty desk beside her.

Had she done everything she could to keep him around and failed? Or was there something she didn't know to say to him?

Dropping her pen to the ground, she buried her face in her hands. She had spent so much time being self-conscious around him, she had never really asked him about the stuff that mattered in his life.

"Yaoyorozu."

Momo took a deep breath when her name was called and followed the officer to the interviewing room. There she was asked to recount the events of the villain attack, and she did so seamlessly until the end.

If she said he willingly left with the villains, would they stop looking for him? She hesitated with the truth. Why? She didn't know. There was just something about the way he left, the way he said he wasn't coming back, that kept her from telling them everything. Maybe her loyalty to Shoto was unfounded, dangerous even if he was a villain now.

Part of her knew lying for him was the wrong choice, but there was so much more to his decision than he had let on.

If given half a chance, Momo would save him herself.

"He pursued the villain down an alleyway. That was the last I saw of him."

* * *

 **XV**

Though they were brothers, Shoto hated when Dabi walked behind him. And he did so often. There wasn't enough trust between the two of them to make Shoto feel at ease when he couldn't see him. He would have bet Dabi felt the same way.

He had insisted Shoto walk in front of him when they made their way to the League of Villain's current hideout. Headquarters, Dabi had called it.

His brother leaned in towards Shoto's ear. "Remember what we talked about. Just let me handle all this."

Shoto gave a nod, and Dabi guided him to the back of an apartment building. Outside stood Toga, her school uniform sweater sliding idly off her shoulder.

"It's about time. Everyone is here but you two." She ushered them inside, and for once, Dabi took the lead.

His body trembled slightly with nerves as they trio made their way to a basement apartment. Standing behind Dabi, he brought a sense of calm over himself. Shigaraki was behind this door, and he couldn't show weakness.

He reverted back to former techniques of keeping a cool exterior. Shoto was used to hiding weakness.

Toga stepped in the room once the door was opened, followed by Dabi, and Shoto hesitated a step before crossing the threshold.

It was a plain living area, filled with villains. Most notably Shigaraki sat in a chair off to the side. Next to him was Kurogiri, the warp gate villain, and a villain he encountered last year with a mask on. The scattering villain was across from the leader, wearing his smile face mask, and next to him was none other than Hawks, the number two hero.

"Dabi," Shigaraki said, sparing Shoto half a glance, "care to explain?"

Dabi stood slightly in front of Shoto, and he wondered if that was for protection. "This is Shoto Todoroki, Endeavor's son."

"I know who he is," Shigaraki said. "What is he doing here?"

"He wanted to join the League. I thought it was poetic. The son of Endeavor as his adversary. Besides, he has a next-generation quirk. I think it'd be useful." Dabi spoke plainly, not a hint of persuasive tendencies in his tone.

Shigaraki stared down Shoto, and for a brief second, Shoto thought he would go after him. He could feel the temperatures rising and falling within his body in preparation.

"I should take his quirk," Shigaraki said. "Wouldn't that be more poetic? The progeny of Endeavor's line"—Shigaraki put two of his fingers together—"gone."

Shoto took a deep breath. He knew Dabi told him not to speak, but he wasn't about to lose his quirk or be killed over this. "Let me join. I can help you take down my father. I want to."

The words had more conviction than Shoto had originally intended, and he wondered if he truly did want this path more than he thought.

Dabi surprisingly stepped aside to let Shoto talk, his face expressionless.

Shigaraki sat forward. "I'm not sure I can trust you."

"I can't trust you either," Shoto shot back. "But here I am."

The room was dead silent as Shigaraki thought. No one moved.

Eventually, he nodded. "And here you will stay. And let Toga have some of your blood."

"Perfect," Toga said, producing a knife and a vial from her sweater sleeve as if she kept them there permanently

Shigaraki's look spoke of compliance. This would be his only chance. The blood request confused him, and Toga was at his side a second later.

It all moved so quickly, he hardly had time to think. Shoto met Dabi's gaze, and the two exchanged tacit words.

 _Do it_. _It has to be us_.

Shoto raised his arm for Toga, but she swiped the tip of the blade across his cheek and collected the blood that slid from the cut. "Welcome to the League," she said. "You're not my type, but you'd look good all cut up."

He stepped away from her a touch, and chose to lean against the wall near Hawks. Hawks was one of the bigger shocks of the night, though it didn't register immediately. There had been speculations about traitors within U.A. and some in hero society, but Shoto never would have guessed it was Hawks.

Part of him felt a bit of betrayal, the other wasn't surprised.

"A lot of people are worried about you," Hawks said under his breath, directed at Shoto.

Shoto glared at the side of his head. He had his reasons to go against Endeavor, what were Hawks' reasons? How long had he been with the League?

"Now that we are all here. Let's go over the plan." Shigaraki kept Shoto from responding to the number two hero.

"The plan?" a guy with a black mask over his face asked. With another voice, he said, "What plan?"

"The plan to kill Endeavor."

When Shigaraki said it, he looked Shoto straight in the eye and smiled.


	6. Him

**A/N** : **Hey everyone.**

 **Sorry for the long hiatus. I actually injured my hands pretty badly and couldn't type. My hands are still on the mend, so I cannot post as frequently as I was before, but I will be writing as quickly as they allow.**

 **With that being said...  
**

 **Enjoy.**

* * *

 _Proud people breed sad sorrows for themselves. -Emily Bronte_

 **XVI**

Rei wasn't sure what woke her up, but when she did, she was met with two turquoise eyes. Anxiety erupted from her chest, and she tossed her hand up, sending a wall of ice to protect her. Her body shook with the thoughts of last night, of everything he'd put her through, and it took her half a second to gain the courage to look up from her lap.

What would he do to her now after this?

Instead of Endeavor, she was met with Toya, frozen in her block of ice.

Rei jumped up from the bed and flew across the room to her barricaded son. Her panic came out in short bursts, and she clawed at the ice, trying to break through to him. He could die. This could kill him.

"Enji!" Rei screamed. "Enji!"

She made an ice pick, wanting to stab it into the ice to break him free, but she hesitated as she looked at the frozen form of her son. What if she hit him? Cut him? Conflicted, she dropped the pick, and instead she banged her fists to the ice, but it held up against her.

"ENJI!"

The bedroom door slammed open, and Rei jumped to the side, the guilt wracking through her body. Enji took one look at the situation and rushed to the ice block.

"Goddammit, Rei."

"Oh, God, Enji. Please. Get him out. Quickly—I… It just happened. I didn't…" She tried to explain herself through the short breaths she was taking, but she couldn't get the words out right.

His hand ignited in flame, and he pressed it to the ice, melting away the area around Toya's face. Her son gasped for air, and Rei reached out to him. Enji grabbed her by the waste and tossed her back without a word. Her back hit the side of the bed, and she broke down into sobs again.

"I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to."

Enji crossed his arms and squared up to his son. "You have a fire quirk. Get yourself out."

"What? Just get him out of there! What are you doing?" Rei said, sitting herself upright.

Toya took in quick breaths, looking between his parents. "Dad…"

"You'll never learn if I do everything for you, Toya. You have the power, now learn to use it."

"Enji, please!" Rei frantically grabbed onto her husband's arm. "Please don't do this Please! It's my fault. He's going to freeze! He's our _son_."

"That's enough, Rei," Endeavor said, grasping onto her arm tightly.

Toya struggled against the ice, cracks forming around his hands as he tried to met the ice. The more he tried, the more he panicked, and it seemed as if the flames beneath the ice were growing out of control. He whimpered when the ice didn't immediately melt, and Rei reached for him only to be yanked back by Endeavor again.

"Let me go! Let me go to him!"

The second his body was free, he slid down the melting ice wall to the floor.

Rei wrenched her arm from Enji's hold and pulled her son into her arms. "I'm so sorry. I'm so so sorry."

His body was hot, and she could see the red marks on his arms from the use of his quirk against the ice, but she held him against her anyway. He wrapped his arms around her, tears falling down his cheeks, and in that moment, Rei swore she would never let him go.

* * *

 **XVII**

When Enji stepped through his front door, he was met with Rei flinging herself at him. Within seconds, he dropped his temperature for her and caught her around the waist.

"I was so worried," she said, pecking his cheek. "I had no idea where you were. There was no news. No calls. Nothing." The words flew from her mouth before he could register everything.

Enji met his new wife's eyes a second and saw nothing but relief. "I got held up with some villains, but I'm fine."

Once again, she pressed her lips to his and took a step away from his bulking frame. "I didn't…" She trailed off and put her hands behind her back, a light blush hinting at her cheeks. The two of them were not entirely comfortable with each other yet, but seeing her let loose a bit brought on an unfamiliar feeling.

"I'll go make some tea."

Once she headed to the kitchen, the coolness of the air pricked at Enji's skin. He checked the temperature and shook his head, adjusting the heat some. Rei always kept it lower when he was away. He took off his shoes and moved along to the living room. The house was orderly, meaning she had been cleaning. A nervous habit maybe?

Sitting on the couch, he leaned his head back and closed his eyes. The past three days had taken a lot out him, and being home was nearly a relief.

Rei came in a bit later with some tea, and she poured him a cup. "It was lonely here without you."

The words came out like an afterthought, but they made him smile. "The tutors didn't keep you company?" He asked her in jest mostly, but she sank back on her knees and rolled her eyes.

"They are _so_ stuffy. I try all day long to make them talk to me like a person, but _no_ , they just want to talk about math and history—I couldn't crack them once. I have a theory they are actually robots."

Enji snorted and sipped his tea. "You and your conspiracy theories… You're on the internet too much."

Rei gave him a look and grabbed her own tea. "Well, I have nothing to do aside from all the nothingness to do around here."

He noted to have the agency call her and tell her when he was kept away next time, as he could feel the need to complain radiating off her. Enji patted the spot next to him. "Come on, I'm here now."

There was a slight hesitation in her movements, but she crawled onto the couch and sat down. A spark of something shot between them, and he found himself searching through her grey eyes. She moved the teacup from his hands and set it down on the table, doing the same with her own.

There was a weight in the air as they kissed.

Rei put her hands on his chest as he pulled her in closer.

What it was between them, though, he didn't know.

After a moment, Enji readjusted and lowered her on her back to the couch, lording over her as he did.

Was it love perhaps?

But then again, love wasn't the reason he married her.

* * *

 **XVIII**

Momo took a deep breath and looked out the window of her room. The sun was just barely up. It was time for her to go now. She grabbed the bag she packed full of useful items and crept to her door. Silently, she opened it and tiptoed outside and to the elevators.

She didn't suspect anyone to be awake, but if they were, she could make up an excuse.

Momo made it two steps out of the elevator when she saw Jiro and Midoriya standing blocking her path. Jiro had her arms crossed, and her face held a disappointed look. Midoriya looked worried.

"I knew you would," Jiro said. She shook her head. "Ever since you told me about Todoroki, I knew you would go after him."

It had been weeks since she'd broken down in Jiro's room about it all, and she hadn't expected Jiro to think it over more than that. Clearly, she had been wrong. At this point, there was no reason to deny it.

"I'm not going after him, really. I'm just…" What was she doing exactly? She had no idea where Todoroki was. Was she really going to walk around until she maybe stumbled upon something that could possibly help her? As she thought about it, she deflated some.

Jiro continued, "It's why I told Midoriya. We need more than just you and me if we are gonna do this."

Momo lifted her head and looked to and from the two of them. "You mean it?"

Midoriya scratched the back of his head. "Yeah. Well. I'm going to make sure everything is okay. Anything we find and we take it to Aizawa, got it?"

Momo laughed, remembering how she had intervened with his rescue plan for Bakugo last year. "Okay. Let's go."

The train ride was quiet between the three of them. The place where they last encountered the League of Villains was where they were going to start, though none of them expected to find anything. It had been over a month since it had happened, but they didn't have any other leads to go by.

Not much had been repaired on the street of the villain attack, and the three slipped beyond the caution tape and headed into the alley where Momo last saw Todoroki. The brick was still charred from the exchange of fire, but beyond that, there were no other clues.

It became pretty clear that after a while, the search was futile. Momo tried not to feel utterly defeated as they boarded the late afternoon train back to Musutafu.

As she stepped into the compartment, a flash of red to her right caught her eye. Red that matched Todoroki. The train doors shut before she could double take. Looking out the window, she couldn't see anything on the platform.

"You okay?" Jiro asked, giving her a concerned look.

"I thought I just saw him," she answered, searching for a path to the next train car to the right. The car was packed, and she would have to shove her way through to get there.

Midoriya reached a hand out for her. "Are you sure? It wouldn't really make sense for him to be here. On a train. I know Endeavor hasn't publicly announced that he's missing, but he's recognizable…"

As the train took off, Momo's hearing went, and she worked her way through the crowds, using her height to her advantage when it counted. The closer she got to the train car on the right, the more frantic her movements became. She got some annoyed looks as she pushed her way up to the window.

Momo could barely see through the other window, but nearest the door was a boy about Todoroki's height. He was wearing a black beanie, but she could see tufts of red and white hair peeking out from beneath it. He had a mask on his face, and sunglasses to obscure the scar, but Momo recognized him almost immediately.

She had found him. Todoroki was on this train.


	7. Forget

**A/N: boom. enjoy.**

* * *

 _There are two basic motivating forces: fear and love. -John Lennon_

XIX

The moment he lifted his foot, Shoto knew he'd made the wrong move. His father—no, _Endeavor_ pivoted to the side and flipped Shoto over. He stumbled back, just barely catching himself before falling on his ass. No sooner had he hit the ground did Endeavor shoot a flame at him.

Shoto scrambled out of the way, the heat from the blaze making his stomach lurch, his nausea surge. They were at that point in the training, the point where his body was starting to truly resist. Sweat dripped from his brow onto the mat, and his mouth watered a second before he threw up.

"Stand up, Shoto." Endeavor hovered over him. "There will be all kinds of villains you will have to face. Your constitution must be stronger than this. Your endurance must be your greatest attribute if you are to defeat All Might's legacy."

He'd thrown up on this mat a hundred times before it seemed. Sucking in a breath, he forced his body to his feet and turned to face the bastard. Endeavor squared up to him, ready for what was next, when Shoto fell back to his knees. The room spun some, his head swimming, and he swore he would puke again.

Shoto lurched forward onto his hands and waited for it all to happen again.

Endeavor opened the door to the training room, and a cool breeze blew through the room, something Shoto barely remembered he missed. "Take a break. Get some water. We will assess where you are at afterwards."

At his words, Shoto collapsed on the mat, his body in seemingly pure exhaustion. He was nearly overcome by his nausea again, so he rolled to his side and grabbed his foot. Pinpointing the pressure point between his big and second toe, he massaged in circles.

His mother worked her way into his head. Shoto tried to suppress the memories, but he couldn't, not when it was this bad. It had been six years since he had seen her. Not that she would want to see him. He knew that. He could deny himself seeing her if it would keep the pain away. Away from her. Away from him.

Slowly, his nausea began to subside, and with it went the small memories of his mother.

* * *

XX

A small tear slid down Fuyumi's cheek as she threw up for the second time that morning. She wasn't sure what exactly it was that had her so unwell, but she would never make that dinner again.

"Fuyumi? Are you okay?"

Fuyumi groaned and moved to her feet. Emiko, her fellow teacher, couldn't see her like this. No one should see her like this. "Uh… I'm fine, Emiko. Just a little—" Her stomach roiled, stopping her mid sentence. Not again.

Emiko shuffled towards the door. "Kirie said she would cover your class. Why don't you go home…"

Fuyumi wiped her eyes and nodded, though Emiko couldn't see her. She also knew this was not a suggestion. "Okay. I'll do that."

"I have your purse."

Fuyumi cleaned up and slowly opened the restroom door. "Thank you."

Emiko gave her a sympathetic look. "Get some rest and come back when you're feeling better." Along with her purse, Emiko handed her a mask.

Fuyumi took it and headed for the exit. She was nearly there when Hide came rushing down the hall.

"Hey," he said, walking alongside her. "Are you okay?"

Fuyumi felt a twinge of guilt as she thought about Hide. About the date he wanted from her. As much as she enjoyed him, she just couldn't give him what he wanted from her. Not yet. But still, he was here looking at her with all sorts of concern and emotion. "Food poisoning, I think."

Hide cleared his throat. "Nasty… Er, listen, I just wanted to say if you ever need someone to… you know… You've been down recently I've noticed. And, uh, that sounds… creepy. What I mean is that I'm here for you."

He stopped walking, and it took Fuyumi a moment to stop as well. She glanced back at him and gave him the nicest look she could. "Thank you… I have to go now. I'm sorry." The apology was a mere whisper, and she was out the door.

The fresh air helped with the nausea, and walking helped ease her mind a bit. Before she even knew what she was doing, she had turned on the path towards the hospital. Fuyumi couldn't explain the compulsion, but something inside her longed for her mother. She knew the hospital would be testy about her being sick, but the thought never swayed her steps. In no time, she was standing outside her mother's door.

Fuyumi knocked first and was quickly told to come in.

Her mother sat next to the window writing a letter. Both Fuyumi and Natsuo had visited her since Fuyumi told her about Shoto's disappearance, and even though Rei smiled when she looked up, there was still pain behind her eyes.

"Hi, mom," she said, and sat down on the chair.

"You don't look well," Rei said, standing from her chair. "You're as white as a sheet." In quite a nurturing fashion, Rei put her hand to Fuyumi's forehead.

"I'm just a little nauseous. That's all. They did send me home from school, though." The cool temperature of her mother's hand felt nice against her warm forehead.

Rei bent down and patted her knees. "Here, give me your foot. I'll show you a trick my mother taught me. It's come in handy many times over the years."

Fuyumi extended her foot to her mother's lap. "Grandma taught you?"

"Mhm." Rei found the pressure point between her big and second toe and massaged it in circles.

* * *

XXI

Shoto leaned his head against the window behind him, trying to blend in to the best of his ability. Luckily, most people on the train were minding their own business, and not once did anyone even glance his way.

Good.

As the son of Endeavor, having gone through two UA sports festivals, he was a much more recognizable face than the rest of them out there. Thinking of it made him wonder how Dabi moved around the Tokyo area so easily.

Reo, the villain who could scatter things with a touch, sat next to him, his arms crossed—a smile mask covered the bottom half of his face. The two had hardly spoken to each other, yet Shoto could hardly go anywhere without him. Reo was observant but not talkative, which made their arrangement easy enough.

The train came to a halt at their stop, and they both stood and walked off as inconspicuous as possible. Reo was relaxed, and moved along the station to the streets with ease. Shoto was uneasy, but everything in his life felt uneasy now. There was so much he was unsure of.

Reo glanced back then sped up as he made his way along to the apartment complex down the way. Shoto found himself taking longer strides to keep up with him. When Reo turned a sharp corner, Shoto jogged to catch up with him and came face to face with Dabi.

"I don't think so," Dabi said and aimed a burst of blue flame over Shoto's shoulder.

Shoto barely had the reaction time to duck out of the way, and his left side absorbed the heat. He spun on his heel to see what exactly Dabi was aiming at when he saw his friends.

They had moved out the way to avoid Dabi's flames, and each had taken a combative stance.

Reo reached out a hand for the nearest lamp post, but Dabi held up a hand.

"Thought you could follow us home? Surely, you don't think we're _that_ dumb."

Midoriya looked to Shoto. "Todoroki. There are innocent people around here. You want to be a hero, right? They could all get hurt."

"Exactly," Dabi said, "there are innocent lives at stake here. So why don't you three turn around and pretend you never saw us before something bad happens." While his words were warning enough, Shoto saw the blue glow of Dabi's flames flit from his palms.

Shoto stepped up next to his brother. "Get out of here."

"Come with us, Shoto." Momo met his eyes. "Please…"

The fibers deep within his being longed for her, longed for all of them. His friends. The people he loved.

Green sparks flashed throughout Midoriya's body. "We won't let you hurt these people, any of them."

Dabi threw a small inferno their way, but Shoto met the flame with a wall of ice. When the two collided, they canceled out each other.

Shoto stepped back. "Don't hurt them."  
Dabi shook his head and incinerated a net Momo tossed at him. When it didn't immediately burn, Shoto blocked it too with some ice.

"And what do we do if they are trying to hurt us? You've picked your side, now come on!" Reo grabbed the pole and sent shards of it at Jiro, who blocked with an almost deafening soundwave. The pulse shot through Shoto's body.

Much like his life early in his first year, he felt conflicted. Shoto wouldn't go back to school—the whole idea of heroism had a different meaning now—but every time a blue flame ripped towards his friends, he couldn't help but stop it. Equally, when Midoriya charged at his brother, Shoto shot a flame to deter him.

No one would win in this situation.

All Shoto had to do was create an opening to escape.

Though it had been a couple months almost since he had left UA, he and Midoriya were good friends, and Shoto had learned much about how the other boy fought. It was immediately recognizable that Midoriya was trying to push them all back to a place with less people. Although, for how crowded the main roads were, the side street where they fought was all but deserted.

Shoto nearly dodged Midoriya's fist, and his quick reaction only just gave him the time to throw one back. The duality within him knocked the sense out of him; he was fighting his friends. They both dodged a rain of tarmac bullets, and when he searched for Momo, he saw that she had placed up barriers around the area.

He suppressed the panic that rose in his gut, just like Endeavor had taught him, and all critical thought returned to him. "They've called the police. They're trying to keep us here."

"Yeah, no shit," Reo shot back as the three of them backed farther down the side street. "I have no idea where that alley goes, but if I can get there, I can get us all out of here."

Midoriya came at them all again, his speed somehow increasing with each round. His attack was aided by Jiro, as the vibrations from her heartbeat stunned his muscles and made his movements slower. Shoto and Dabi sent a blaze his way, though admittedly, Shoto kept the temperature down. But just as soon as the flames reached the area, Midoriya was elsewhere, attacking from a different angle.

Something flashed in Shoto's peripheral, and he reflexively blocked. He didn't realize it was Momo until he had her on the ground, his knee firmly in her back, his hands tightly around her wrists, pulling her arms back towards him.

She let out an exasperated laugh, and he immediately eased up, but still cautious.

"Just come home."

"You don't understand," he said at the same time. "You won't understand."

"Todoroki!" Midoriya broke his hold, and Shoto jumped out of the way before he was able to be pinned. Regardless of how much stronger Midoriya had gotten, Shoto always had a leg up on him in hand to hand combat.

Careful to avoid Momo, Shoto let off a barrage of ice, securing the area and the alley for them. Without hesitation, he, Dabi and Reo used the miniscule head start to head for the alley. Once they cleared the mouth, Reo pressed his hands to the sides of the buildings, each of which came crumbling down behind them.

Shoto's stomach sank as they ran to their check point. There may have been people in those buildings—no, he was sure there were people in those buildings. He knew he pushed Midoriya away from there, but Momo was still within his ice wall.

He hoped she hadn't run in after him.

* * *

XXII

Shigaraki scratched at his neck some debating his latest point to the plan. A recent development he had added last minute. A weakness he would exploit.

It would be almost poetic.

The scratching ceased and he turned to his two league members Reo and Toga.

"I have a job for you two. I believe, Reo, you can do it just fine, but Toga will come handy should you need it."

Reo raised his brow and Toga stared him down. Shigaraki held up a photo, and they both leaned in to get a better look.

"I need you to go collect someone."


	8. Relent

**A/N:** This might be the longest chapter I've written. Anywho! This only has two more chapters, so thank you for sticking with it!

Enjoy.

* * *

 _When we hunt, we are vicious_. _-unknown_

 **XXIII**

The summer festival was in full swing by the time Hawks arrived. He was fashionably late as always, and for a time, he considered not even coming. He would have much preferred a night in watching his favorite guilty pleasure show.

That was until he found out she was going.

Endeavor had mentioned it in passing, and it then became necessary for Hawks to attend as well. He had raked through his clothing to find something suitable to wear, and when he was sure he got it right, he took to the skies.

Fuyumi Todoroki was easy to spot. She was a drop extraordinary simple in the world, and his attraction to her was one of the strongest feelings he had ever experienced. She wore a traditional kimono of red and white, and her hair was tied up with an intricate pin. While he hadn't meant it to come off as creepy, he couldn't help but watch her enjoy some of the festivities before making his move.

Before he could reach her, three young women blocked his path.

"OMG, Hawks, the number two hero! Can we get a picture?!" one of them shouted at him as she promoted an innocent civilian to photographer. They lined up around him, and he smiled for the camera, giving it his signature look.

They squealed, and he couldn't help but notice how none of them backed away once the pictures were taken.

"So listen," one with purple hair said as she adjusted what she was wearing, "there's a party later if you want to come. Here's all the info." She handed him a card along with _the look_.

"Thank you," he said, throwing on some charm. There was no denying his fans were part of his success. "I'll be busy, though, later tonight."

She tried to hide her disappointment, but Hawks had already moved along. Through all the commotion, he lost sight of Fuyumi. Searching around, he tried to catch a glimpse of the girl in the white and red kimono but was constantly held back by various fans.

Before long, he was utterly surrounded.

Hawks had to fly up and perch on nearby buildings to escape the crowds. He didn't like disappointing the masses, but he hadn't come to the festival for them. The height of the building provided a good vantage point, and when he finally found Fuyumi, he dropped down between two stalls and pulled her in with him as she crossed his path.

She let out a small noise of surprise, but upon seeing him, her lips formed into a smirk. "You are a _very_ popular man, Hawks."

He genuinely smiled. "Yeah, I have been having some trouble… but they can't find me here." Even as he said it, he pulled her further along.

Fuyumi didn't resist. "Well, I don't want to interrupt your routine. I hear fans guarantee you a future."

"I see a future with you." The statement was short, bold even, as they'd only been on a few dates at that point, but he meant every word.

She rolled her eyes but stopped midway when she saw his expression. "That's not funny."

"I'm not trying to be funny."

"But it's only been—"

"I know," he interrupted. "I'm not proposing, just saying all that"—he waved his hands towards the festival streets—"doesn't mean a thing. But this does." He stepped closer to her, his heart skipping a beat as he did.

Her body language gave away so much more of her feelings than her words, not that she held back too much. She rolled out her shoulders and looked to the street. "You say that now…" Her faraway gaze stopped the thoughts for a moment. "Women flock to you, you know. I've been watching it all night."

The corner of his mouth lifted into a lopsided grin, his joy overflowing, and he leaned in. "Was that a bird pun?"

"I—" Her initial response was to defend, but upon realizing what she said, she busted up laughing. "It wasn't intentional, but yeah, it was."

Her laugh was contagious—everything about her infectious—and he laughed along. The two laughed together for a few more blissful moments before Hawks looked up, the grin still plastered on his face.

Fuyumi followed his gaze with ease, just as he wanted, and when she did, he bent down a touch and pressed his lips to hers. The moment their lips met, small shocks pulsed throughout his body, and an overwhelming sensation overran him.

Belonging.

* * *

 **XXIV**

"This is embarrassing…" Momo groaned. "I'm so sorry."

"It's fine," Shoto said, adjusting her on his back some as he carried her towards Recovery Girl's office.

Momo rested her head on his shoulder. "If I could walk, I would. You know that, right?"

Shoto shook his head. "It's a bad sprain, but Recovery Girl will heal it easily I'm sure. Besides I'm fine."

She went quiet for a second. "Okay. I should stop running."

"Yeah, why were you running? Don't you train enough in class?" He hadn't expected to see her out so early, nonetheless exercising.

He couldn't see her face, though he felt her sigh close to his neck. "Well," she started, "I'm trying to improve my fitness. You know, to keep up with the class." The last part was muffled as she put her face into his shirt.

"You are better than most of the class," he said bluntly. "Your quirk is amazing."

She shrugged and relaxed her body some. "It has its limits. I need to make sure I'm prepared to be the best hero I can be."

He flashed back to all the times Endeavor had pushed him past his limits. "Take it from someone who knows, limits are good. And you'll be the best hero of us all." He truly believed it. Momo had so many things he and the rest of his classmates didn't. "But if you want to get stronger, I can help you."

She perked up at his words. "You can't go easy on me. I have to improve, you know."

"Okay. I'll take it seriously." As he said, a soft half-smile worked its way onto his lips.

When they made it to Recovery Girl's office door, Shoto slid Momo off his back to help her in. She misstepped on her bad ankle and fell back against the wall. To stop herself from going down, she reached out and grabbed Shoto's shirt, pulling him along with her.

The weight surprised him, and he stumbled forward, putting a hand out against the wall and the other around her waist to keep them both from tumbling.

They ended up a few inches from each other, Momo encapsulated by his arms, her hands on his sides. Their eyes met and a small pink blush tinted her cheeks.

"I'm sorry," she whispered, but the rest of her words trailed off when neither of them moved.

The pull between them was too strong.

"It's fine…" Shoto leaned in, only slight hesitation in his movement.

As his lips barely brushed hers, Recovery Girl's office door swung open, and Shoto jumped back. Momo stood up on her good foot and looked to the door with apprehension.

"Well, what are you two doing here?" Recovery Girl said, assessing them both with a look.

Shoto was the first to recover, and he cleared his throat. "Yaoyorozu injured her ankle this morning on a run."

As the tension between them faded, Momo sucked in a deep breath. "I stepped off the sidewalk incorrectly."

"Oh," Recovery Girl mused, "well, come inside, then, don't just stand out here ogling at each other all morning."

* * *

 **XXV**

Toya's skin singed a bit as Endeavor reached out and grabbed ahold of his neck. He clenched his jaw, and his hands tried to pry his father off him.

"Say it again," his father urged. The darkness in his tone said otherwise.

Toya laughed. "I said she doesn't deserve to be in there… If they knew the truth…"

"Truth? What would you know about truth? I've given you everything you've ever had. That includes your life." Enji lifted his hand, his strength insurmountable.

Toya grunted as he felt his feet lift part way off the ground. "You're a nightmare," he managed to say through Endeavor's grip. "You've always been a nightmare."

Natsuo ran for the two of them, but Fuyumi grabbed him and held him back, pulling him towards the corner of the room.

Toya wasn't sure the hatred that was ever-present in his father's eyes was directed at him, but even so, a shiver ran down his spine.

"I haven't shown you 'nightmare' yet. So keep talk—"

"Yeah, you save all that for Shoto, don't you?" Toya spat. "I know. I know what happens."

"You know nothing," Endeavor said darkly, slamming him up against the wall. "You are nothing. Nothing but a failure."

Toya cried out as his back hit the wall, and rage hot like fire ignited within him. Toya laughed loudly. "I know one thing!" he shouted, "You taught me one thing, remember dad?!" He grabbed his father wherever he could reach with both hands and let off the hottest flame his own body could handle.

Immediately, Endeavor dropped Toya, and the teenager fell to his knees. His arms and neck burned, but Toya was seeing red and didn't care. He'd do anything to cause his father pain. Anything to pay him back for what he had done.

Toya glared up at his father, who stood over him menacingly. He knew that he didn't have the strength nor the stamina to fight his father. Not yet, at least. Endeavor crossed his arms, flames engulfing them. It was a challenge.

He stood up, eyes narrowed, and walked towards the front door. Unsurprisingly, his father didn't try and stop him.

The cool night air pricked his sensitive skin, and Toya tried to ignore it. He had no idea where he would go tonight, but he wouldn't stay here. He couldn't stay here.

"Don't leave!" Natsuo sprinted out behind him. "Please!"

His heart wrenched, but he didn't stop walking. "I'm sorry, Natsuo," he said through gritted teeth.

"No, Toya, please don't leave me here!" Even though he was twelve already, Natsuo was always in the grips of his emotions. "Don't leave me here alone! Please! Not with him!"

At the gate, Toya turned back to his younger brother. "I'm sorry."

Natsuo fell to his knees, hot tears streaming down his face, and Fuyumi knelt beside him, holding him in her arms. "DON'T LEAVE ME!"

Toya looked up, fighting against all his own emotions, the emotional and physical pain. There, staring down at him from the window of his second floor bedroom, was Shoto—the brother he knew almost nothing about.

Shoto put a hand on the window, but aside from that, he was expressionless.

Before Toya could change his mind, he walked out the gates of his house for the last time.

* * *

 **XXVI**

Fuyumi paced the room.

The door was locked. The window was locked. She would bet even if she did manage to break out, they would be close behind her. And Shoto.

When the villain had come for her, he'd been with Shoto. Shoto had been acting weird, but if he was with the villains now, she didn't know what to think anymore. Last night, when he'd come home with the villain, he's been smiling.

Fuyumi rubbed her temples to think. Sure, she had gone with them both willingly—she was quirkless, so there was no way she could have fought them both off—but she hadn't expected to be directly kidnapped. And she had honestly thought she might've been able to convince Shoto to come home if she played along for a bit.

Her breathing became shallow, and she started pulling at the door handle again. When that once again didn't work, she headed back to the window. She tried to pull it open before looking around the room for something to smash it with. It would make a sound, and she would have to climb out, but that was better than whatever the villains had planned for her.

The only thing in the room she could use was a chair. She hoisted it onto her shoulder and debated which place was the best to strike.

Just as she was about to strike, Hawks dropped down in front of the window, a look of pure panic on his face.

Fuyumi shrieked in surprise, but quickly covered her mouth with her hand, effectively dropping the chair. Hawks glanced to the door and back at her, holding a finger to his lips.

"What are you doing here?!" he asked, his voice obscured by the barrier of the glass.

"What are _you_ doing here?" she shot back, pressing up to the glass. "Hawks, help me."

"Fuck. Fuck. Fuckfuckfuckfuck…" he chanted, running a hand briskly through his hair. He also tried to pull at the window, his desperation growing as it didn't budge. "Fuck! Okay… Okay… I'm going to have to break it."

"What am I doing here, Hawks?" she asked again. It was clear he knew more than he was letting on.

"Listen to me," he said barely audible through the window, "everything I said that day was a lie. It was all to protect you. I was trying to avoid this. Do you get it? _Do you understand what I'm saying_?" He emphasized every world, and the reality of the situation hit her like a train.

She was kidnapped because of him. She covered her mouth again to suppress the panic, and her shoulders began to shake. She had to get out of here.

"Fuyumi! Snap out of it!"

She looked up at Hawks, nodding along with him.

"I love you," he said. "I always have. Now step back."

Fuyumi did as he said, tears forming in her eyes. Hawks pulled out a feather blade and made to strike the glass.

The door rattled behind her, and she whipped her head around. "Someone's coming."

Hawks looked up to the door and cursed again. "Don't fight them. I'll save you."

"What? No, take me—" Before she could finish her sentence, he was gone. As the lock sprung and the door opened, Fuyumi backed up to the window.

He was almost unrecognizable when he entered the room. His scars were darker, worse now, but the patterns were the same. His hair was black instead of its normal white, but his eyes were the same. He had grown up of course, but the way he stood was the same. And for a split second, concern passed over his visage.

Behind him was Shoto. While he was the master at keeping a straight face, he too looked worried. She couldn't stop herself from shooting daggers at her brother. He'd led her here.

"So you are here," Shoto said.

"Of course I'm here," she snapped back. "Don't play dumb with me, Shoto."

He paused a moment before saying, "What?"

She glared them both down. "Shoto, can you excuse us a moment?"

He raised a brow, looking between them.

"Don't worry." She crossed her arms sternly. "He won't hurt me. Will you, _Toya_?"

Toya looked to Shoto and nodded towards the door. With an apologetic look, Shoto walked out of the room and shut the door.

Fuyumi tapped her foot and took a deep breath.

"How did you—"

"You really thought I wouldn't recognize you? I was there every time mom patched you up, remember? And all the other times…"

Toya put his hands in his pockets and rocked back on his heels. "Yeah. Yeah you were."

"You brought Shoto into all of this? How could you?" She found herself getting angrier and angrier as she stared down her older brother.

"It has to be this way, Fuyumi. You wouldn't understand." A rage, a hatred, she recognized flashed behind his eyes.

"Of course I understand. How dare you say otherwise. It was always you and me back then. But this is beneath you. I wanted better for you." She tried to relax the tension in her shoulders. "Get me out of here. You owe me that much."

She didn't think this would be her reaction to seeing her brother again. It had been seven years since she had laid eyes on him, and the resentment grew.

"I owe you?" he questioned.

Fuyumi looked down at her feet, brushing one back and forth on the floor. "Natsuo wasn't the only one you left that day… Now get me out of here. And I'm taking Shoto with me."

Toya's expression hardly changed as he contemplated. For half a second she truly believed he wouldn't do anything, but he nodded. "We'd better hurry."

There was shuffling outside the door, and Shoto's deep voice sounded. Before either of them could react, however, the door was opened again, and two more villains stepped in: the one that kidnapped her with Shoto and the other with a hand on his face.

"Dabi. Should I even ask what you are doing in here? I expected Todoroki, but you?" The hand villain stepped up to Fuyumi, and in return she leaned away from him.

Her brother went by another name here, and around these two villains, almost his whole demeanor changed. "She was just trying to convince me to let her go."

Fuyumi gave Toya a look of betrayal, but the hand villain just scratched his neck. "I'll let her go. But first, we have company."

Shoto stepped inside the room. "There was no mention of this. You never told me you'd be kidnapping my sister. _Shigaraki_ …"

"Of course, I didn't tell you. I had her brought her here to keep you in line. So no funny business." The hand villain stepped up even closer to Fuyumi, and in his presence, she found herself paralyzed. "You'll be coming with me. It's showtime, daughter of Endeavor."

Fuyumi closed her eyes a moment before she was led away from her brothers.

 _Don't fight them_ , Hawks had said. So she didn't resist. He would be coming back to save her.

She only hoped it wasn't too late.


	9. Fall

**A/N: Sorry this is a little late. Enjoy.**

* * *

 _No beast is more savage than man when possessed with power answerable to his rage. -Plutarch_

 **XXVII**

 _Get up, Rei._

The voice in her head was calm but firm. Beyond it, in some distant present, Shoto wailed.

 _He's right there._

Her head throbbed, and she wondered how many more times she could get to her feet. How many more times would he knock her down?

 _Get up and defend your son._

"Mama…" Shoto said, and she only just heard it.

The truth of it was far more vile than she was willing to admit. She didn't want to get up. She didn't want be in this hot room full of awful things anymore.

She didn't need to open her eyes to know Enji had lifted Shoto off the ground. The sounds of the young boy struggling against his father made her clench her teeth.

 _You're such a piece of shit_.

A soft laugh escaped her lips as she slowly moved to her hands and knees. "Let go of him," she spat. "Let go of my son." Her footing was unsteady, and she swayed some as she made way to her feet.

Before she could even stand, he was on top of her, shoving her frail body to the floor.

"You've outlived your usefulness," Endeavor said.

 _He's right, you know._

"I've had enough of this," he added, placing his hands on her head and neck. An assault of heat would come next.

Tears slid down her cheeks as the blast of heat overwhelmed her senses. An immediate dizziness spell overtook her, and her head lulled to the side.

"No…" she whispered only just. Shoto was off to the side, his eyes reflecting the same darkness that lived inside his father; the same darkness that lived inside of her.

She reached out a hand for him, her last ounce of resistance. It fell short, and her vision went black.

 _I've had enough of this too,_ she thought.

* * *

 **XXVIII**

It had been happening all too often. Rei could barely look at Shoto without going into a panic; all she could see was Enji. Deep down, she knew Shoto was unlike her husband. But even at five years old, their similarities shone as brightly as the flames they both produced.

Shoto had fallen asleep on the couch, and she had only just been able to slip from underneath him and escape to the kitchen. She took deep breaths as she tried to calm down, and her hands shook as she pulled the kettle from the cabinet and filled it with water.

Once on the burner, Rei leaned against the counter and put her head in her hands. She didn't know how much more of this she had in her. In the beginning, it was all so different, but recently, her life had descended into undeniable hell.

Rei turned around and called her mom, trying to keep the tears from coming. She'd tried crying against her demons. It never got her anywhere. When her mom answered, she sucked in a long breath.

"Mom."

"Rei. It's nice to hear from you." Her mom paused, and even though she asked, they both knew the answer. "What's wrong?"

Rei sucked in a long breath, the panic rising in her chest. "I can't take it anymore." It was the first time she had said it aloud.

"Are you alone?" her mother said, her tone clear.

"Yeah," she responded, leaning her head against the cupboard.

Her mother sighed. "Just talk to me. Maybe your father and I can plan a—"

"I feel like I'm going crazy." Rei gritted her teeth. "Everyday the children seem more like him. And Shoto"—her chest heaved at the thought—"that child's left side sometimes looks unbearable to me; all I see is his father."

"How about I come visit? I could help with Shoto."

Rei barely heard what her mother had said, as her mind fogged over with all her options. "I can't raise him anymore," she said, her voice monotonous. This didn't have to be it. She didn't have to die here under the rule of Endeavor. "I want to run away from this life."

"Mom?" a little voice said from behind her. Immediately her anxiety peaked, her body going rigid. "What are you saying?"

There was mumbling coming from the phone as Rei dropped it. It clattered on the counter, and slowly Rei turned to look at her son. He had his little head peeking around the side of the door to the kitchen, his red hair, turquoise eye staring her down.

A shot of adrenaline zapped through her body, and she reacted in time. Instantly, blindly, Rei grabbed the now screaming kettle for her defence, only one thing on her mind: survive. Nothing else mattered in that moment.

Shoto's screams replaced those of the kettle, and it took Rei a moment to realize what she had done. Shoto had collapsed to the ground, clutching his face. The kettle lay abandoned, and somehow, she had backed her way into the corner.

It wasn't long before the children came running. Fuyumi bent down by Shoto, and Toya looked between the two. Natsuo hung in the back.

"What have you done?" Toya asked quietly.

At his words, all thoughts of fleeing, of a different life, left her. All that remained was an overwhelming sense of emptiness.

It took Enji two seconds to put it together when he came rushing in. "Goddammit." He ripped Fuyumi off Shoto, sending her sprawling to the side, before he made way to Rei.

The look in his eyes made her scramble back against the wall. She had no words to defend herself; there was nothing left of her.

The last thing Rei remembered was Enji's fist, her children screaming.

It was the first and last time he had ever used that much force against her.

Rei awakened in an unfamiliar place.

The room was a soft white. She was in a gown, and her right hand was wrapped in bandages. Slowly Rei sat up and took in her surroundings, though it was clear after a moment she was in the hospital.

Her head throbbed, and she raised a hand to her face. It was sensitive, clearly swollen, and her lip was cracked. Her reflection in the mirror told her as much as she would have guessed. A black eye formed around her left eye socket, and her left cheek resembled that of a chipmunk.

The door opened, and Rei whipped her head around, causing a pain to shoot up the side of her neck. She had whiplash too?

A kind looking nurse walked in and gave her a smile. "I'm glad to see you're awake. How are you feeling, Mrs. Todoroki?"

It took Rei a moment to find her voice. "Uh… confused… Where am I?"

"I suspect as much. Things might be a little fuzzy, but we will help you remember. You're in the recovery ward of Shizuoka Hospital. We'll patch you up here before transferring you to to the residence ward."

The words seemed to float in the air like feathers before her. "The hospital? The residence ward?"

The nurse took a seat on the chair next to Rei. "It might be a good idea if you stay with us for a while."

Rei's hands frosted over as everything connected in her mind. "Oh, God. Shoto. What have I done?" She held a cold hand to her mouth and tried to catch her breath. "I... I swear I didn't know what I was doing. I swear. I couldn't—Enji, he… Oh, my God."

"Shoto's fine. He will be okay," the nurse assured. "You can calm down."

"But Enji. His face when I…" The hyperventilation stole her words.

"Mrs. Todoroki, you're safe." She gave Rei a genuine smile. "You're safe here."

It had been a long time since she had heard those words. "What about my kids?"

"It's for the best they don't come here just yet. But they will be able to soon enough."

She swallowed hard. "You mean I'm alone?"

"You have us for now. And eventually, depending on how you are doing, your family can come see you."

She hadn't meant to, but Rei broke down crying. It was like the burden of the past fifteen years of her life had been lifted off her chest. "Don't let them come yet."

Somehow, she had escaped.

* * *

 **XXIX**

"I can't do it," Toya said, his voice coming out hoarse. His throat was dry, and speaking was nearly impossible.

"Yes, you can. You'll be able to do it even better than me. You're flames are much hotter." Enji stood a foot away. "It's my ultimate move. If I pass onto you, you will surpass me."

Toya's skin already felt like it was on fire. "Dad, it's too hot."

His father shifted. "You'll adjust to it. You have a powerful quirk, Toya."

The boy took a deep breath, trying to ease the fear of burning himself. Endeavor expected more than he believed he could handle, but he didn't want to disappoint. He nodded twice and tried to swallow against his gritty throat.

There was hope in his father's eyes, something not exactly foreign, but not familiar. He held the hope of his father. Slowly, he activated his quirk again, blue flames wildly ripping from his skin. Toya whimpered as the flames grew hotter, more intense. Endeavor stood, arms crossed, in front of him, waiting for results.

Smoke rose with the flames, the smell of searing skin filled the training room. Toya battled the pain, squeezing his eyes closed. At that moment he couldn't remember much about what he was supposed to do… channel? Condense the energy? His mind was focused only on pain.

Tears spilled from his eyes, evaporating on the spot. His father was speaking, but he couldn't make out the words through the sound of the flames and the noises coming from himself.

Before long, it felt like his very skin was burning off his body.

Bearing the hope of Endeavor or not, Toya lost his resolve and screamed bloody murder.

* * *

 **XXX**

Shoto jogged behind Shigaraki as he pulled Fuyumi along. Not a step behind him was Dabi. At that moment, Shoto was lost for words, but he sure as hell wasn't going to let Shigaraki harm his sister. How he even knew about her was beyond him. As far as he knew, the Todoroki family was a mystery aside from him.

Shigaraki stepped into the living room of the apartment and motioned for Kurogiri, who responded in kind by making a portal. "Like I said, you two, we have company. It's time we greeted them." He stepped through the portal with Reo and Fuyumi before either Todoroki could reach their sister.

Immediately, Shoto turned on his brother. "This is your fault. You brought her into this!"

Dabi leveled his gaze. "I'm not sure why she's here, but if what he said is true, we should hurry."

Shoto hadn't seen Dabi move so quickly as when the two ran towards the door. They rushed down the hall to the back entrance, then out to the side alley. Before they even reached the mouth, Shoto knew the plan was already in motion.

Outside was pandemonium. The entire agency of Endeavor had come. Shoto saw his father facing off with most of the League aside Hawks, though Hawks hung back. There were sirens far off, signaling the police were on their way.

Dabi rushed into the fray, adding his incineration technique to fight, while Shoto stayed in the alleyway. He searched around for Fuyumi but couldn't see her or Shigaraki anywhere. Reo was out there, spraying whatever he could get his hands on over the heroes. Endeavor fought with flame, and Hawks attempted to keep damage to a minimum.

Dabi got the better of a hero who underestimated him, while Mr. Compress brought another down to a marble. More villains than Shoto had ever seen in the League fought the heroes. Shoto didn't even recognize half of them, and he wondered when was the last time there was an all out brawl like this.

He debated going back inside and trying a different area, Fuyumi had to be around here somewhere. If only he could just get to her. Before he could make a move, swarms of people overwhelmed him, shoving him out of the alley. At this point, the residents of the cramped apartment building were making their escape.

Shoto stumbled against the wall and watched as innocent civilians ran for their lives. Where he could, he put up defenses to help them, but his eyes never left the battlefield in search of his sister. Many of the heroes turned to evacuation and rescue procedure, foregoing the fight.

A large portal opened up near the entrance of the building, and amid the chaos, Shigaraki stepped out, holding Fuyumi by the neck. Shoto ran for them, but Shigaraki turned slightly and squeezed her neck, his fifth finger coming dangerously close to her skin. He paused, not wanting to provoke him further. He'd have to find a better way to free her than a forward assault.

Satisfied, Shigaraki stepped forward, using Fuyumi like a shield. "I seem to be collecting your children, _Endeavor_." Pure malice seeped through his tone as he emphasized the number one hero's name.

The fighting on the streets seemed to die down as Endeavor squared up to Shigaraki, his eyes crossing Shoto only briefly. "Kidnapping the innocent shows how weak you really are…"

Shoto used the moment of distraction to creep a bit closer to Fuyumi. Maybe he could freeze Shigaraki's hand for a moment and pull Fuyumi away. He flashed a glance to Dabi, who stood a few yards away from Shigaraki. If they worked together, both of them could save her.

"Everyone is weak when the number one hero is weak. That's why this world has spiraled since All Might's retirement." He took another step forward, and Fuyumi reached her hands up to his arm, trying to pry him off her. "No no no. Don't do that. You could make me slip… You don't want that."

Fuyumi stopped struggling, but her hands remained.

A fury grew in the eyes of his father, and for a moment, Shoto was reminded of what he was doing here. He and Toya were going to kill him. They were going to end it all. His heart rate increased as he sorted his priorities. From the way it looked, Shigaraki had full intention of killing Fuyumi. The question was why? His brain worked in overdrive to find a way to get her out of this.

"She's not a part of this. Let her go, and you can take all the shots at me you want. It can be just you and me."

Shoto was surprised by his father's words. And by the expressions around, that sentiment was reflected in the crowd. Even Hawks stood rigid next to Endeavor.

"That's where you're wrong, but that's nothing new to you, is it? I only need to take one shot at you." Shigaraki slid a free hand towards Fuyumi's abdomen, and instantly, she moved her hands to guard herself. "See that? A new little trick I just learned."

The tension shifted, tightening around everyone, and Shoto made the split decision to start walking towards his sister. He'd kill Shigaraki himself, burn him alive. Hawks' chest moved rapidly as he made eye contact with Fuyumi.

"Your line ends here, Endeavor," Shigaraki continued. "And traitors shouldn't reproduce, should they, Hawks? "

Shoto felt a presence behind him and was only barely able to dodge the hands of Reo, who had been reaching for his head. He lost his balance at the quick movement, aided by the ground crumbling beneath him. An assault of tarmac hit him in the face, knocking him back again. Reo stood over him menacingly, his next strike ready to go, and Shoto scrambled for some sort of leverage.

The string of tension snapped.

A barrage of hundreds of red feathers attacked Shigaraki, though they were all aiming at Fuyumi. And before anyone could react, Fuyumi was ripped from Shigaraki's grasp and flew straight into Shoto behind her. The force of the feathers sent the both of them sailing towards the apartment building, and Shoto was just barely able to put up an ice wall to stop them from hitting brick, his body taking the impact of hers.

Both Hawks and Endeavor had exploded with attacks.

Shigaraki dodged the flame attack just barely, but he didn't seem to be running. In a rage, Endeavor ran at Shigaraki, using his flames to boost his speed. But as he got closer, a portal opened up, and Shigaraki reached a hand through. The exit portal opened in Endeavor's range, and before he could deflect, Shigaraki's hand made contact.

Shoto was instantly nauseous as he saw his father fall to the ground, unmoving, part of his face disintegrated. Dabi's shouts rang out, and in retaliation, he aimed an ignited hand at Shigaraki, and a blitz of blue fire erupted from his palm.

Hawks soared a second behind, his wings nearly void of feathers, and in a last ditch attempt, he grabbed Shigaraki's shoulders and swung around to hold him in place. In an instant, the two went up in blue flame.

It all happened so fast, Shoto swore it was over in thirty seconds.

He couldn't tear his eyes away from the carnage; he couldn't hear Fuyumi screaming, though he knew she was. All he could do was stare at the litter of dead bodies.

Fuyumi moved away from him and started crawling to the flaming pile. Through his shock, Shoto pulled her back and wrapped his arms around her tightly. She didn't need to see this. She didn't need to be that close to it all. Fuyumi struggled against him but eventually gave up and cried against his chest.


	10. Love

**A/N:** **Hey everyone,**

 **Thank you for sticking with this fic. I'm posting it early because I finally finished it and why not?**

 **I appreciate all of you!**

 **Also, I'm so ready to get out of all this serious stuff and go back to comedy! That's what's up next. So look out for it.**

 **Enjoy.**

* * *

 _Existence is love. -Alan Watts_

 **XXXI**

Fuyumi reached out a hand and ran it along the grave stone. Since Hawks had no one, she had insisted with everything in her that he was buried in her family's grave on the estate. Given her family's reputation, it wasn't much of a fight with the authorities.

She held an Endeavor doll against her body. It was one of Hawks' most prized possessions. Earlier in the week, it had been delivered to her from Hawks' latest intern, Fumikage Tokoyami. It was bittersweet to have it with her, and Fuyumi hadn't let it go since she had gotten it.

"I went to the doctor today," she said, a hand absentmindedly floating to her baby bump beneath the Endeavor doll. "We're having a girl… A little girl."

She sucked in a breath in the silence. Her vision blurred as tears threatened to spill, and she pulled out a long red feather. It had still been in her hair when she was taken to the hospital after the incident. It was all she had.

One tear fell, and she dropped her head back, looking to the sky.

"She has your wings, Hawks."

* * *

 **XXXII**

"Fuyumi Todoroki?" the judge asked.

Shoto saw his sister shift in her seat next to him. "That's me," she said.

The judge peered through his glasses at the paperwork. "You are Shoto Todoroki's guardian?"

She nodded. "Yes." The judge looked her up and down, a frown on his face.

Shoto found it hard to look at her. He found it hard to look anywhere. To his right, Aizawa sat, his arms crossed.

The judge cleared his throat. "I see. The charges brought against Shoto Todoroki by multiple prefectures and districts around Tokyo have all been confessed to and claimed by one Toya Todoroki. He confessed to being the one who damaged city property and committed all villainous activity."

Glancing up, Shoto tried not drop his jaw. Toya took the blame for everything. His heart sped up as he looked to the judge and the pro hero sitting off to the side. Shoto didn't recognize her, and he guessed the hero was brought in from a different sector of Japan for the court hearing.

The judge continued, "Given we have a confession, the charges against you have been called into question. However, upon Toya Todoroki's testimony, concerns have been raised about the mental stability of your family."

Fuyumi took Shoto's hand in her own, but whether it was for her benefit or his he didn't know.

"Which is why the court has invited Shota Aizawa, pro hero Eraserhead, here to represent your best interests."

Shoto squeezed his sister's hand and looked to the side at Aizawa. Aizawa gave him a confident look. Thoughts of jail flashed through Shoto's mind as he glanced at the other pro hero in the room and his own legal representation.

"With all this taken into consideration, we have come to a verdict regarding your future. Come Monday morning, you will cooperate and go to Shizuoka Hospital for a psych evaluation. Your mental state will be evaluated and further decisions will be made as to what will happen from there."

Shoto swallowed heavily and thought of his mother.

"Since you have been deemed as a flight risk, you will stay with Eraserhead over the weekend and report to Shizuoka Hospital. Should you complete all this, I see no need for an arrest to be made."

A chill in his right hand, and a heat in his left, spread around Shoto's body as he listened. They didn't trust that he was mentally all there. They didn't trust he wouldn't run. That was the whole reason Aizawa was there… to keep him under control.

He wasn't expecting the judge to give him a sympathetic look, even a small smile. "I recognize the suffering your family has endured. This is in your best interest."

The other pro hero in the courtroom stood to address the court. "Shoto Todoroki. I am the pro hero Avis. I was approached with your case, and it was my responsibility to weigh in on you future as a hero."

Shoto held his breath, pushing all emotions down within him.

"With my advice," she said, "the court has come to the decision to bar you from obtaining your pro hero licensure. Your current license will be confiscated, and you will be expelled from U.A. High School effective immediately."

Pro hero Avis looked Shoto in the eyes, and they held much less sympathy than those of the judge.

"You cannot be a hero if you were once a villain."

Shoto was surprised to see Momo waiting with Natsuo as he exited the courtroom. Aizawa and Fuyumi were held back a moment to complete some papers, so he walked out alone, trying to process everything.

The sun reflected off Momo's jet black hair, and it hung loosely off her shoulders. She stepped up to him, hesitating a touch as he did. As he looked her over again, a strong sense of guilt washed over him. She had gone through a lot to try and bring him home, and how had he repaid her?

"I'm happy you are okay," Momo said before he could get a word out.

"I'm sor—"

She put a finger up to his lips. "I'm glad you are home. I know I couldn't understand, but…" She shrugged.

He moved her hand. "What are you doing here?"

A bit of embarrassment crossed over her face, but she never dropped her eyes from his. "I'll always be here for you."

A sense of comfort washed over him, a feeling he often got with her. "I'm sorry." It was all he could think to express.

"Todoroki." Aizawa appeared from behind him with Fuyumi. "It's time to go."

Fuyumi filled Natsuo in on the court hearing and two said their goodbyes before heading off with Kaito. He gave Momo a quick goodbye, one he felt good about.

Shoto watched his siblings and Momo go before following Aizawa to the car.

Overall, he felt overwhelmingly defeated, but incredibly relieved.

* * *

 **XXXIII**

Rei paced outside the Todoroki family grave. She had asked the kids to give her a bit of space, hoping it would allow her to breathe better. As she stared at his name on the plague, her breath was shallow.

He had never come to visit her in the hospital, but she couldn't deny the notion of his flowers. Without his presence, she knew what they meant.

Rei had long forgotten her anger at Enji for all he had done against her, but when it came to their children, her anger ignited like his flames. It was only quelled by the many coping mechanisms she had been taught, and the fact that Enji had died protecting their children.

Her time was interrupted by the car pulling up to the gate. Natsuo and Fuyumi filed out of the house, both with a certain amount of stress radiating off them. She felt it to. While both of them were on board with what she wanted, it was ultimately her idea to do this.

"Ready?" Natsuo asked her, holding his arm out for her.

Rei took his arm and nodded. "I'm ready. I have to do this. I want to do this."

As the three of them slid into the back of the car, Natsuo kissed the top of her head.

On the ride to the prison, Fuyumi filled Rei in on everything involving the court cases. It had been especially hard to hear about Shoto, but she swore to herself that she would do anything to protect him—she would make up for all the times she couldn't defend him back then.

"They said they would reopen an investigation for you as well," Fuyumi added. Rei loved to watch as Fuyumi gently stroked her baby bump, though there was always a sadness to it.

Rei leaned her head back against the seat. It seemed as if a dark cloud was constantly hanging over her, and it had spread to her children. "If it will help Shoto and Toya, I'm fine with it."

Beyond that, she had no intention of opening up old wounds. Upon his death, Enji had left the estate and Shoto's guardianship to Fuyumi, and his agency to Kaito. Nothing had been left to her, meaning she was free of him… free of the hold he had over her life.

While she had been ten years without him, he was never truly gone. Now that he was, she was nearing another crisis of conscious.

Her first decision completely on her own was to go to the prison to see her son.

Rei had no idea how Toya would react to seeing her. So much of his life was the direct result of her… of Enji. She hadn't been there when he had left. She wouldn't know what to say, but she had to see him.

Like Shoto, she owed Toya her life. She owed him her defense, her own testimony. What she couldn't give him then, she would attempt to give him now.

Rei was pretty sure he hated her.

They signed into the prison and were escorted towards a room where Toya would be. Before she entered, Rei took a moment to collect herself. Her palms were sweating, her pulse racing.

Fuyumi stopped beside her. "Are you okay?"

Rei met her daughter's eyes and nodded. "I'm fine. I'm ready."

Ready as she would ever be, anyhow.

She would stay calm. She would apologize. She would listen to him.

Most importantly she would see her son again. Finally.

With a deep breath, Rei entered the room.


End file.
